The prestigious international award, which is now in its 13^th edition, has for the first time introduced an important section dedicated to design, thanks to the support of Antrax IT.

Arte Laguna Prize, in partnership with the MoCA Cultural Association, is an Italian prize that promotes and values contemporary art, collecting thousands of entries each year from artists and creative minds from all over the world, who take part in the Contest by presenting a portfolio of works – which are not necessarily unprecedented – which they enter into a specific category.

As of this year, the Prize is divided up into ten categories: painting, sculpture and installation, photographic art, video art and short films, performance, virtual art, digital graphics, environmental art, urban art and design. The introduction of this latter new section, supported by Antrax IT, testifies to the on-going growth of the Arte Laguna Prize and expresses the increasingly strong bond between art and design.

In 2019 a panel of outstanding experts will gather together as a jury to select the works of 120 finalist artists, originating from the various categories, who will give rise to a large collective exhibition in the extraordinary spaces of the Venice Arsenal, from 16^th March until 7^th April 2019. Among the many creations on display, the jury will then identify six absolute winners who will be awarded the various prizes.

A focus on the environment, on cultural initiatives in its local area and the desire to enhance its value are what made Antrax IT the ideal concern to support the new section of Arte Laguna Prize dedicated to design.

The interest and involvement of Antrax IT in projects that go beyond the brand’s production activity express its desire to establish itself as an industrial concern which takes an interest in the cultural formation of its local ‘places’.

It is with this intention that the company has, for example, created the Parco del Design (Design Park), a unique and mesmerising space, located just a stone’s throw from the company headquarters in Resana (Treviso), dedicated to the community and designed to create an unexpected and enjoyable oasis of greenery where one can stroll surrounded by nature and by the unprecedented creations of international architects and designers. A place where art and design ‘merge’ together.

Its strong sensitivity to aesthetic styling and its taste for beauty have led Antrax IT to direct its production towards heating solutions that go far beyond their specific function, and are turned into genuine items of interior décor.

Antrax IT has in fact been capable of providing a significant contribution to the design of designer radiators thanks to its ability to reinterpret an everyday object in solutions that skilfully combine technology and styling.

Created with the support of Antrax IT, the new design section of Arte Laguna Prize therefore aims to promote and value creativity in contemporary furnishings. Designers who enter in this category are therefore invited to design furniture and furnishings that are capable of enhancing the domestic experience, thanks to a strong visual component. The design section will also have an ad-hoc jury, consisting of Alfonso Femia, architect and designer, Danilo Premoli, architect and designer and also Igor Zanti, general curator of the Prize and director of IED Venice.

The Prize has already been awarded a medal by the President of the Italian Republic and it is sponsored, among others, by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, by the Veneto Region, by the Municipality of Venice, by Cà Foscari University in Venice and by the IED (European Design Institute).