Last 16th April in Brussels at the Arturo Spinelli premises of the European Parliament, the FACE (Foundation of Arts for a Contemporary Europe) was officially presented, a new European foundation for contemporary art, a unity that originates from diversities.
It is a large project born from the synergy between different foundations, precisely 5, which have been operating in the art sector for some time now. The 5 foundations that have adhered are the Deste Foundation of Athens, the Ellipse Foundation of Cascais, Portugal, the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation of Turin, the Maison Rouge of Paris and the Magasin 3 of Stockholm.
MP Gianluca Susta, member of the European Parliament, illustrated the project and then handed the word over to the people in charge of the participating foundations: Dakis Joannou, President of the Deste Foundation, Alexandre Melo, Curator of the Ellipse Foundation, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, President of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation together with art director  Francesco Bonami, David Neuman, Director of Magasin 3 and Antoine De Galbert, President of La Maison Rouge.
The Face has been founded with the intent of promoting young International emerging artists, by supporting them in the production and exhibition of their works. It is an ambitious project that aims at encouraging and promulgating contemporary art in Europe and in the world, addressing itself to an increasingly wider and articulated public and promoting the activities of the single foundations that participate. Face’s main initiative will be to organize exhibitions and events at international level, clearly with annexed production of catalogues and publications.
Face intends to take this project forward with a 360-degree operation, taking care of every single initiative and every aspect, without leaving anything to the case: indeed, it will follow the production of works of contemporary art, it will take care of public relations, advertising campaigns and necessary promotional activities, it will arrange participations and fair and exhibition events, it will finance market studies and research, it will optimize exhibition activities, it will do its best to encourage art collecting and support the single adhering foundations, in the name of a common asset.
Support to young International talents will be concretely offered with the operation called “Production 5 ”, which will last 5 years. One of the supporting foundations will choose every year a number of artists from its own group, to bring them to the attention of the other participants, and a strict Face Scientific Committee will select among them all one candidate who will be assigned the commission for a work. Finally the work will be displayed at 5 exhibitions that will take place in the venues of the different foundations, allowing artists to follow their own “travelling” work and see it exposed in prestigious contexts.
Therefore, a common interest prompts these foundations to support one another, to collaborate for the promulgation and promotion of young contemporary art in Europe. From a reciprocal commitment, it seems possible to offer benefits to each single institution and at the same time contribute to a collective interest. A new and ambitious initiative. Now all that is left to do is wait and see the results of this “one for all, all for one” formula.

Website:http://www.art-face.eu/

translated by Giorgina Arcuri