Location : Art Talks Area
Language : English
Guest Speaker(s): Marco Godinho (Artist)
Celeste Leeuwenburg (Artist)
Moderators: Paul di Felice & Claire di Felice, Co-Founders of MAI contemporary
The conference "LAB Limited Edition Artist Book: Another Approach to Collecting Contemporary Art" addresses how collecting art today is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for young collectors. The prices of artworks are often high, and the market is becoming more speculative. It requires not only an in-depth knowledge of the field but also significant financial resources. LAB by MAI limited edition was launched with the idea of creating a more democratic and accessible approach to collecting contemporary art today.
Initiated in Luxembourg in 2023, LAB is a new concept of the artist book or artwork as a multiple. Conceived as a box containing various artistic media (leporello, photos, cards, books...), each limited edition of thirty signed copies is conceptualized by the artist in collaboration with Claire and Paul di Felice, with the contribution of expert printers, engravers, and bookbinders. From the works contained in the box, the collector can create their own display setup or simply present and handle the objects in the box. The presentation will offer a cross-perspective from artists, publishers, and collectors on limited editions and multiples in art.
Paul di Felice (1953, Differdange), holds a doctorate in arts and taught modern and contemporary art history at the University of Luxembourg. For over forty years, he has been active in the field of contemporary art and photography as a publisher, art critic, artist, and curator. Co-founder of Café Crème, EMOP Luxembourg, and Lëtz’Arles, he has contributed to the development of photography as an art form in Luxembourg.
Claire di Felice (1994, Luxembourg), after obtaining a double degree in English and French law, completed a master's in contemporary art at the Sotheby's Institute of Art in London. Since graduating in 2020, she has developed her career in the art world in various forms. She worked as an artist liaison and sales associate at the Maruani Mercier gallery in Brussels for four years and in parallel expand her activities as an author, curator, publisher, and artist.
Celeste Leeuwenburg (1986, Paris) is a Franco-Argentine artist. Self-taught, she trained alongside Argentinian artists and filmmakers before returning to Paris. She is interested in memory, emotions, and lived experiences, whether her own or others', which she reinterprets and transforms into contemporary works. She was a finalist and exhibited at the PRIX LOUIS ROEDERER 2022 during the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, with her series From what she told me, and how I feel, later presented at the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival (China). She is also a laureate of the 2022-2023 Mentorship program of the Prix Les Filles de la Photo.
Marco Godinho (1978, Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal) lives and works between Luxembourg and Paris. For about twenty years, he has been exploring the aesthetic reflection on our subjective experience of time and space. He sensitively addresses issues of exile, memory, and geography inspired by his own nomadic life experience. Through installations, videos, and writings, his work forms a map of a world shaped by personal experiences and multiculturalism. He has had numerous solo exhibitions, such as the Luxembourg Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and has participated in group exhibitions like "Exils. Regards d’artistes" at the Louvre Lens in 2024.
