The Association of Contemporary Art Galleries of the Valencian Community (LaVac) presents the fourth edition of the Valencia Open in September, the event that kicks off the exhibition season in 18 galleries in the Valencian Community. With the aim of breaking down barriers between the public and contemporary art and encouraging collecting, LaVac is organising a weekend of cultural events on 30 September and 1 October to highlight culture and bring contemporary art closer to the public.
For two days, 30 September and 1 October, the galleries will host the ARCO Gallery Walk, an event that will take visitors around the Valencian galleries with guided tours to understand the functioning and history of these spaces. Sponsored by ARCO and organised by the Valencian Association of Museum Educators (AVALEM), the ARCO Gallery Walks are routes through the galleries of the city of Valencia that can be taken at special times. Registration to participate in these visits is free and must be done online as in previous years.
The participating galleries in Abierto Valencia will be: Luis Adelantado, Benlliure, Alba Cabrera, espaivisor, Mister Pink, Del Palau, Paz y Comedias, Punto-Área 72, Galería 9, Aural, Isabel Bilbao, Rosa Santos, Set Espai D’Art, Espai Tactel, Thema. As a novelty, in this fourth edition, Shiras, Plastic Murs and Pepita Lumier join the participating galleries.
During these three editions, Abierto Valencia has become one of the reference events for collectors and in this edition it aims to encourage local and national collecting and transmit the value of art for the company, as is the case in other Spanish and European cities. To this end, Colecciona, a platform for the promotion of private collecting in our country and Ética., a company specialised in asset management, corporate finance and social responsibility, will hold a round table at the Fundación Bancaja as part of the official programme of the Abierto Valencia. Attendance at the round table will be by invitation.
The Opening, the opening of doors to enjoy the exhibitions will be on the 30th at 17.00h when dozens of Valencian galleries will be simultaneously opening the season, accompanied by a cocktail offered by each gallery. At the end, the IVAM will host the opening party of Abierto Valencia.
The beginning of the exhibition season brings to Valencia the best of the national and international programme of the galleries as LaVac, through Abierto Valencia, announces four awards in its commitment to the professionalization of the art world: Best Opening Exhibition Award granted by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat Valenciana and three awards for the acquisition of works by private entities sponsored by DKV, the Hortensia Herrero Foundation and Gandia Blasco.
A specialized jury composed by the cultural manager Antonio Molina-Vázquez, the independent curator Carlos Delgado Mayordomo and Josep Salvador from the IVAM team, will visit the exhibitions to award the prize for the best exhibition. Attendance at the IVAM party will be by invitation.
