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Lucca Biennale Cartasia (LUBICA), is an international exhibition of paper and cardboard art, held biennially in Lucca, Italy. The event, active since 2004, is mainly active in the field of fine arts, architecture and design, but is also involved in fashion and performance arts.

Description

Lucca Biennale Cartasia started its activities in Lucca, the first European paper district, as the first exhibition dedicated to Paper Art in the world, in 2004. The event is organised by 9 Muse Impresa Sociale, and takes place during the summer, displaying monumental sculptures, and architectural structures in the Outdoor section. In addition, the Biennale exhibits various works of art realised using paper and cardboard in its Indoor section. Parallel to the exhibitions, LuBiCa organises the NETWORK DAYS (Ne.D), Performances, and multiple Educational activities targeted toward a range of audiences.

In 2018, Lubica announced the addition of the “Guest Country” to further promote international cooperation between paper artists. Due to China’s importance as the birthplace of paper, it was chosen as the event’s first guest country to inaugurate the section.

Organization:

Lucca Biennale Cartasia is organised in the following sections:

Outdoor:

comprised of monumental works of paper made of paper and cardboard and displayed in the main squares of Lucca. The selected artists for this section are offered a residency, as well as a workshop with the necessary material to execute their works.

Indoor:

an exhibit of sculpture, paintings, video art, performance, and design works displayed inside the seat of the Biennale.

Architecture and design:

focused on the developments and projects in the fields of design and architecture in Paper.

Performance:

exhibiting various performances involving Paper throughout the period of the Biennale.

Fashion

centred around dress, and accessories constructed using paper

LuBiCa OFF!

inaugurated in 2021 for the 10th edition of the event, this section displays works of art outside of the Biennale seat, in various stores in Lucca.

Network Days (NeD)

a series of talks, conferences and networking periods, taking place at the weekend before the inauguration of the Biennale, covering sector-relevant topics by artists, curators, industry experts, designers and architects.

History

2004

The first edition of the Biennale featured Labyrinth, a monumental paper installation reproducing Lucca's castrum layout; paired with the exhibition “Futuri Remoti” hosted by Villa Bottini in Lucca; as well as the screening of the documentary “Storie di carta”, testimonies and memories of the city's papermaking tradition.

2005

For its second edition, the event opened an international competition for sculptors, painters, and designer artists who want to try their hand with the material paper in the creation of monumental installations.

Six projects were selected that inhabited the squares throughout the event. At the same time, two exhibitions of artists photographers from Lucca took place, related to the relationship between the territory of Lucca and paper production, from the human and social points of view.

2007

For its third edition, the organizing committee decided to add a leading theme for the event. The theme chosen for the 2007 edition was Interculture. Furthermore, the Biennale was structured into four main areas:

International competition of paper and cardboard sculpture and installations (special attention to materials derived from recycling)

Open-air exhibition of the works created

Collateral exhibitions

Cultural and performance events (dance, theater, music, readings...)

2009

2009 is the year in which the biennalization of the event is announced, starting with the 2010 edition. The central event of Anteprima Cartasia is the promotion of the Giri di Parole project, conceived and promoted by the Cultural Department of the Municipality of Porcari: inspired by the idea of bookcrossing, the project consisted in the circulation of books in the urban environment so that they can be found and read by all citizens.

For the cycle of theater performances and shows as part of Anteprima Cartasia, the dance theater performance Meta-morphosis: act I by the Metropolis theater company staged at the Lazzareschi Foundation in Porcari.

2010

The theme of the 2010 Biennial was Play, Green, Creativity.

Four of the exhibitions featured at Cartasia 2010 were set upAt the Cavallerizza Area in Lucca: Dreams Clothed in Paper by Caterina Crepax, Strappi by Hemmes, Timeless Rituals by Anna Onesti and the Amateras Collective (Sofia, Bulgaria). Meanwhile, the solo exhibition Capturing Light and Air by Hiroaki Asahara was presented in Fondazione Lazzareschi, alongside with the renewal of the Giri di Parole project. The Church of the Servite Fathers, Centro Agorà  in Lucca, the happening-installation “Catttedrali” by Federica Ricotti, was realized.

2012

The theme chosen for this edition was: Crisis and Rebirth, referring to art as a means of uplifting the human spirit in a time of economic and social crisis. The Bienniale maintained its main organizational sections with indoor and outdoor exhibitions as well as a section dedicated to activities for children and youth and workshops aimed at more adult audiences.

2014

The 2014 edition of Lucca Biennale Cartasia was held under the theme of “Liquid Identities”, maintaining its organizational structure.

2016

The theme of the 2016 edition was "Boundaries and Perspectives." The eighth edition of the Biennale is characterized by the inclusion of the Design section, in addition to the Indoor, Outdoor and Events sections. The design section was accommodated by the space of the Ex-Cavallerizza, a historic representative venue in the city with 1,500 square meters of exhibition space available.

2018

The theme of this edition was "Chaos and Silence". This was the largest edition of the Biennale, both in terms of the large number of artists and visitors and the range of events, works and projects presented. In this edition, the Biennale introduced the Network Days (Ne.D) as an opportunity for lectures and networking events, which over the course of two days brought meeting and exchange between artists and professionals in the field. For younger children, Lucca Biennale designed a series of creative workshops: the Educational Labs, designed to guide children to discover paper art through workshops inspired by the works on display.

For the 9th edition, for the first time Lucca Biennale had a guest country, China, as the birthplace of paper.

2021

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lucca Biennale Cartasia postponed its 10th edition, holding its activities in 2021, instead of 2020. This edition followed the them of “Fear and Desire”, and hosten Japan as its guest country. In addition, LuBiCa introduced a new section, Lubica OFF!, which exhibits artworks inside stores and commercial spaces in Lucca.

The Hoodie Incident

The Artist Michael Strutz created the Hoodie for the 2016 edition of the Biennale, the sculpture of an African-American man wearing a hoodie, which after the end of the 8th Biennale was put on public display in the San Paolino Bulwark, a part of the Historical Walls of Lucca. However, on 24 may 2022 it was announced by local authorities that the sculpture has been subject of a fire incident. The local police arrested a 24-year-old man in relation to the fire, caught on the security cameras nearby.

Awards

The Awards section of the Lubica was announced in 2018, awarding paper artists under the categories of “Lifetime achievement Award”, and the “Outdoor Award”. In 2021, LuBiCa expanded the award categories, adding indoor,