Focus: Video Library. Turin Gallery of Modern Art

In the words of Elena Volpato, the GAM curator, the first requirement that the institution established when creating the video collection and choosing the artists was compatibility with the gallery’s funds. This meant constantly bearing in mind the multiple nature of video work, which can be a breeding ground for the most common stereotypes in art collecting, and the tendency to condense the complexity involved in the search for important artists into a few works. Given this perspective, Focus: Video Library does not limit itself to works on video, but recognises the continuity between this medium and earlier experimental works on film. The reasons include the fact that for several years, the connections and dialogue in the audiovisual sphere have been decidedly geared towards other forms of art rather than taking conclusive root in the field of video. The challenge faced by the museum - one that a museum alone faces - is recognising these new domains through exhibitions of their collections that do not put the video library or auditorium out of bounds for these works.