Darte code of ethics

Darte was born from the conviction that creativity does not belong exclusively to those who have followed an academic path, hold established relationships or have already obtained professional recognition.

Art can arise from very different experiences, sensibilities and paths. It can develop through study and training, but also outside traditional circuits, through self-taught, spontaneous, participatory and unconventional practices.

This is why Darte works to make the art world more accessible, more understandable and easier to move through, creating occasions in which people can express themselves, develop their own language, acquire professional tools and encounter new cultural contexts.

Making art more accessible does not mean reducing its value or giving up on quality. It means removing needless barriers and widening the possibilities of participation, while keeping a clear distinction between creative expression, professional development and curatorial recognition.

Creativity is open to everyone. Professional recognition requires work, consistency, development and selection.

Darte recognises that there is no single legitimate way of being an artist or of approaching art.

The value of a practice can show itself in technical skill, conceptual strength, intuition, experimentation, spontaneity, narrative ability or in the relationship with a community and a territory.

No qualification, geographical origin, economic condition or social background determines on its own the value of a path. At the same time, openness towards different languages and biographies does not mean the elimination of critical judgement.

Darte promotes an inclusive culture, but not an undifferentiated one. Offering access does not mean granting everyone the same level of recognition, just as selecting does not mean passing a definitive judgement on a person's worth.

Every path can evolve. A person can approach art as an enthusiast, gain awareness, structure their own research and progressively access more complex and selective opportunities.

Darte develops activities with different purposes and conditions of access.

Some programs are open and oriented towards cultural participation, training, exchange and discovery. Others are dedicated to the professional development of artists through portfolios, texts, identity, consultancy, communication, documentation and exhibition experiences.

Curatorial programs, selected exhibitions, prizes, commissions and special projects instead involve an assessment of the works and of the artistic research.

The nature of each opportunity is communicated clearly, so that participation, professional service and curatorial recognition remain distinct.

Darte does not sell talent, success or artistic consecration. It does not certify the absolute value of an artist and does not guarantee access to the market, to gallery representation, to institutions, to the press or to collections.

Darte produces opportunities, professional tools, exhibition experiences and connections, making organisational, curatorial, communication and production skills available.

Darte considers selection a responsibility towards artists, audiences, host spaces and the partners involved.

In curatorial programs, works are assessed in relation to the nature of the project, the concept, the exhibition context and the line of research being developed.

The assessment may take into account the quality of the work, the consistency of the research, the awareness of the language, originality, capacity for development, the relationship with the space and technical and production sustainability.

Admission to a project is not a definitive consecration, just as not being selected does not cancel the value of a path. Every decision concerns the compatibility between a body of research and a specific opportunity, at a given moment.

Darte is committed to keeping curatorial judgement independent from the economic means of participants and from the interests of those who support the projects.

Cultural production involves labour, skills, spaces, installation, transport, communication, documentation, insurance and organisational responsibility.

Darte considers it legitimate to build sustainable economic models, provided that costs, included services, conditions of participation and any exclusions are communicated clearly.

Production costs may be covered by representing galleries, patrons, collectors, foundations, public or private bodies, sponsors, funding programs and calls.

When such resources are not available, Darte offers selected artists the possibility of contributing directly to the realisation of the project, so that the absence of an external funder does not automatically become an obstacle to participation.

The financial contribution supports concrete activities, services and costs. It does not buy a favourable judgement, a reputation or the right to be presented as a relevant voice in contemporary art.

The origin of the resources does not change the selection criteria and does not create favouritism, privileged treatment or improper recognition.

Darte is committed to representing the work of artists in a professional, respectful and proportionate way.

Critical texts, presentations and communication content must give value to the works without constructing artificial identities, using unfounded celebratory formulas or generating expectations that the facts cannot support.

Respect towards an artist does not consist in automatically attributing importance to every production. It consists in looking seriously at their work, offering them adequate tools and communicating their path with care, precision and responsibility.

Darte promotes an accessible cultural language, avoiding both the trivialisation of content and the use of needlessly obscure and self-referential formulas.

Darte bases its professional relationships on clarity, fairness and mutual respect.

It rejects every form of discrimination, intimidation, manipulation, harassment or behaviour that harms the dignity of people.

Criticism must concern the works, the choices and the professional paths, without turning into a judgement on the human worth of the artist.

In the same way, taking part in projects requires respect for agreements, deadlines, spaces, organisational work and the works of other participants.

Artists, curators, collaborators, technicians, institutions, partners and audiences all contribute to building a shared cultural environment and share the responsibility of preserving its quality.

Every exhibition is also made for those who will visit it.

Darte considers the public an essential part of the cultural experience and is committed to creating projects able to generate curiosity, exchange, knowledge and participation.

Making an exhibition accessible does not mean simplifying it until it is emptied out, but building the conditions for people with different experiences and knowledge to enter into a relationship with the works.

The cities and spaces in which Darte operates are not mere backdrops. Every project must seek an authentic relationship with the place, the public and the communities present.

Darte understands art as a tool able to activate spaces, generate encounters, give value to territories and build new connections between people, institutions and cultures.

We believe that a more open world is one in which the place where you are born, economic means, the absence of connections or an unconventional path do not on their own determine the limit of what a person can become.

This is why Darte works to widen the possibilities of access to culture, to creation and to artistic life.

We do not promise everyone the same result. We commit to making sure that more people can have an authentic possibility: to begin, to be heard, to compare themselves with others, to grow and to understand how far their own path can go.

Darte wants to be a point of access to the art world, not a shortcut to recognition.

We want to build a system that is more open but not without criteria; more accessible but no less rigorous; more human, without giving up the responsibility of judgement.

Darte exists so that talent does not remain invisible, passion does not stay isolated and the absence of opportunity does not become a definitive barrier.

Opening new possibilities through art means helping to build a world in which more human beings can recognise themselves, transform themselves and take part in creating the future.