Mosaic: Naghmeh Farahvash Fashandi and Samantha Holmes, with special commendation to Roberta Grasso.
Photography: Stefano Pezzi and Alessandro Camorani
Painting: Giovanni Lanzoni, with special commendation also to Mirko Dadich
Installation / Performance: Maria Ghetti, with special commendation to Caterina Morigi
Sculpture: Fabiana Guerrini
Curators: Luca Maggio and Antonella Perazza

An exhibition of new work by each of the RAM 2013 recipients will be held at the Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna (MAR) in September 2013. 

For more on the redesign, an article by Linda Kniffitz, of the Centro Internazionale di Documentazione sul Mosaico (Italian only) is available here.

In this light, one of the week’s highlights was the Interni Hybrid Architecture & Design Exhibition, held at the Cortile d’Onore Seicentesco of the Università Statale. Among the works presented was “Golden River”, a collaboration between Moscow-based architects SPEECH (Sergei Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov) and Italian artist Marco Bravura. The sculpture is composed of two large, undulating forms that approach one another without ever touching, creating a broken wave across the building’s courtyard.

The surface is covered in a rich mosaic of gold, glass, and cotisso, jewel-like glass blocks that result from the glassblowing process used in Venetian furnaces. Light reflects off the surface in an ever-changing pattern like the sun upon a river, suggesting the connections between motion, time, and beauty.

Arch-Skin, as the sponsor of the installation, pursues its corporate mission of encouraging exchange between the realities of architecture, art and design.

Other artists in the exhibition include Daniel Libeskind, Autoban, Mario Cucinella, Michele De Lucchi, Steven Holl, Dean Skira, Christophe Pillet and Luca Scacchetti.

Deadline: 21 May, 2013.

For official information and entry forms on GAEM 2013.

For more about the philosophy of the prize, by judge and sponsor Linda Kniffitz.

Supreme Being, Damien Hirst, 2012

Also on display will be several of the artist’s “Entymology Paintings,” in which butterfly wings and beetles become the material for kaleidoscopic patterns. Like something from a Victorian fantasy, the works is at once beautiful and disturbing, simultaneously proclaiming the beauty of the insect, yet demanding its destruction.

This coexistence of life and death – the butterfly sacrificed to allow the birth of the artwork – is present not only in the materiality of the butterfly paintings, but in the form they take. The patterns adapt themselves to the peaked arches of stained glass, the curves of a rose window: the gallery becomes a church, and the artwork offers promises of secular redemption.

Doorways to the Kingdom of Heaven, 2007

More on the exhibition here.

Paperboat Carpet

According to the artists, the work offers “a contemporary interpretation of this centuries-old medium…. The result is not just a decorative carpet, but an object that makes us think about the consumer society that produces these ‘weaving materials’. A contemporary interpretation of wealth.”

The work is necessarily impermanent, installations of objects that are used, then thrown away – in art as in life – to emphasize the potential for beauty and utility that we ignore every day in fashioning objects that do not last.

Pasta carpet

More of their work can be seen online at http://www.wemakecarpets.nl/.

Particularly striking is a triptych along one of the gallery’s back walls: a mass of nails appears on the border of each panel, as if just edging into view. They are like organisms in a magnified petri dish, bursting with movement, energy, growth. The various inclinations of the nails stretch outwards or gather together, shifting in compliance to some underlying logic. They rise up, straight and solitary like the hairs of a frightened animal or curve over each other like the spines of a sea urchin, moving with the tide. It is a glimpse of something at once intimate and universal.

According to the gallery, “In his works on canvas on wooden board Uecker uses hundreds of nails driven methodically into wood to produce rhythmic structures and forms. The beauty of the compositions stands in stark contrast to the aggressive physical act of producing them, a reference to pain, crucifixion and man’s violence upon his fellow man.”

More of his work can be seen here.

- Samantha Holmes

If the pieces inside the Jack Shainman Gallery feel intimate in scale, any longing for monumentality is quickly answered by the exhibition’s exterior installation: Broken Bridge II, a 37 x 157 foot sculpture of tin and mirror, commissioned by and installed beside the High Line park. Originally developed as part of the 2012 Paris Triennale, the work has been reconfigured for its unique placement alongside the High Line, drawing all eyes upward in this particular corner of the city.

El Anatsui, Broken Bridge II

Broken Bridge II, between West 21st and West 22nd Streets, will remain up until Summer 2013. 

Toledo Station, Naples

The station is just one of the city’s Art Stations, part of a government-led initiative to improve the Neapolitan subway and provide fresh opportunities for engagement with contemporary art.

The station’s artwork, which was curated by former Venice Biennale director, Achille Bonito Oliva, also includes mosaics by acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge: a parade of figures that trace the history and contemporary culture of Naples. The panels were completed with the collaboration of mosaicist Costantino Aureliano Buccolier.

William Kentridge mosaic (detail), Toledo Station, Naples

William Kentridge mosaic (detail), Toledo Station, Naples

William Kentridge mosaic (detail), Toledo Station, Naples

Additional artwork in the station is by Robert Wilson, Francesco Clemente, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Shirin Nehsat and Oliviero Toscani.

For more information:

MetroNapoli (IT/ENG)

Il Corriere della Sera (IT)

The New York Times (ENG)

Download the application here.

Certainly the work is not without political commentary. Most explicit are the photographs: self-portraits of the artist smashing a Han dynasty urn, or raising his middle finger at the White House and Tianamen Square. But the strength of the exhibition comes not from this kind of direct antagonism, but from the weight and grace of his sculptures. By drawing upon the cultural and historical resonance of the physical materials he manipulates, Mr. Ai forces the viewer’s engagement with questions of history, memory, and witness.

Ai Weiwei, “Kippe”

In “Kippe”, wood from dismantled Qing dynasty temples is stacked into a cord and bound with metal bands. Occasional ¬elements of detail – a cornice piece here, a carving there – hint at the material’s origin, underscoring the impropriety of its destruction: the sacred reduced to fuel for a fire. Yet the pieces, cut to differing dimensions, settle into one another; small pieces occupy the spaces left between those larger, angles align. The resulting equilibrium suggests a very different reading: not destruction, but the indelibility of the past. The grace of the temple is not eradicated in its dismantling, but merely rearranged, preserved by the artist in this other form.

Ai Weiwei, “Straight”

The controversy of Mr. Ai’s work comes, in part, from his materials’ role in bearing witness to aspects of Chinese history that have otherwise been suppressed: the destruction of the temples addressed by “Kippe”, the tragedy and subsequent cover-up of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In the installation “Straight”, 38 tons of steel rebar are laid out across the gallery floor to form an undulating landscape torn by a central fracture, the steel salvaged from the thousands of classrooms that collapsed during the 2008 earthquake. The installation is reminiscent of Richard Serra, the scale of the structure and the tenderness of the rust reminding us of the close proximity of power and decay – a message all the more harrowing when one thinks of the source material.

Ai Weiwei, “Tea Houses” (detail)

As with “Straight”, the assemblages gain strength from the summary of their parts. In the aptly-named “Bowls of Pearls”, two large bowls brim with freshwater pearls, their number seeming to belie their value. In “He Xie”, a pile of porcelain crabs refers to a dinner party held at the artist’s studio just before its destruction by the Chinese government, while doubling as a pun on the Chinese word xie, whose meaning (“harmony”) is often cited as the official justification for state-sponsored censorship. In “Tea House”, masses of used tea leaves are pressed into the traditional form of a tea house, suggesting the link between heritage and home. The smell of tea permeates the hall, evoking personal memories, even as it alludes to broader issues of Chinese culture and trade.

An artist known for his ideas, it is Mr. Ai’s material that speaks the loudest. Each element carries the memories of its past, and the work cries out with the strength of that testimony.

- Samantha Holmes

Work from the Louvre’s extensive collection will be presented within the new galleries, including the already-famous Galerie du Temps, which presents 200 objects from the museum’s collection in strictly chronological order, ignoring more conventional arrangements by geographical or thematic cohesion. Yet amidst the art historical procession, one new work has been created for the museum: a mosaic floor, fabricated by the Trend Group after the floral designs of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The mosaic – which runs 200mq and required a team of twenty-some people to create – represented significant challenges in execution, as great attention given to the accuracy of color and detail in Kusama’s original drawing. New tonalities of glass were produced in order to accurately render the fluorescent hues found in the original sketch. Critical in the Louvre’s selection of Trend Group was the company’s use of cutting-edge digital technology in project planning and execution, as well as its commitment to sustainability. Cutting-edge technology was used to ensure the accuracy and strength of the final mosaic, which was created of brightly-colored, recycled glass.

In an unusual contract, the mosaic was created at the expense of the Trend Group, but to the advantage of both parties: the Louvre has promised the organization the right to host events and product launches within its galleries, ensuring an ongoing relation between the two entities.

Museum website:
http://www.louvrelens.fr/en

Sources:

http://www.materialicasa.com/_ita/news/426/18341/Trend-per-il-Louvre-.html

http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Economia/430189_trend_group_oui_il_louvre_parla_vicentino/?refresh_ce

http://www.casa24.ilsole24ore.com/art/arredamento-casa/2012-11-02/mosaici-vicenza-sposano-arte-163657.php?uuid=Ab02hSzG

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/nov/04/louvre-lens-review-france

More information here.

De Luca has exhibited his work throughout Italy and abroad, including at the 2010 the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. In 2012, he had his first solo exhibition in Moscow.

The exhibition, open through 4 November, will be accompanied by a catalogue with texts from Claudio Spadoni, Sabina Ghinassi and Fulvio dell’Agnese, edited by Umberto Allemandi.

For more information, you can visit the MAR website here.

Nane Zavagno: Nature and Forms, a retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work, opened September 16 at the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Armando Pizzinato. Curated by Giancarlo Pauletto, the exhibition gives the public the unique opportunity to follow, in a single occasion, the decades of research carried out by Zavagno, ranging from painting and drawing to sculpture and mosaic.

The city of Pordenone – long attentive to the work of the artist and owner of several of his masterpieces – pays tribute to the long career of Nane Zavagno with an exhibition that presents new works and designs within the context of an extraordinary synthesis of his artistic production, recognized by critics as genuine excellence.

The exhibition catalog, published by Umberto Allemandi & Co, includes critical texts by Enrico Crispolti and Giancarlo Pauletto.

Zavagno has, to date, more than thirty solo exhibitions and nearly two hundred international group shows, with works exhibited in numerous museums and private collections around the world.

The evening, which marked the official closing of the exhibition, was occasion to present the accompanying catalog, with texts by the curator Сhristina Steinbrecher, Maxim Krekotnev, Irina Kulik, Margherita DeMichiel and Anna Tolstova. Both the artist and curator were in attendance.

SportCulture! featured a series of mosaic panels of semi-precious stones, beads, glass smalti and stone, which depict athletic heroes from the Russian era of Great Style. The catalog authors spoke about the historical significance of these images and the contemporary implications that inspired Soldatova.

The Foundation collection presents the mosaic technique, revived and reconsidered by contemporary artists. The expressive means and materials of mosaic allow the artists to create unique and expressive artworks that catch the imagination by their beauty and diversity.  Among the pieces included in the exhibition is Pelagia Angelopoulou’s Tree of Life, The Altar, Rhapsody and Birds - “symbol of freedom, the messengers of time and seasons.” The artist gives dynamism to a fixed form, “with an endless variety of colors, bodies, created for a flight that is higher than arts and sciences.

This year, the Voice of the Nomads was not just a music festival, but a forum of modern ethno culture, a powerful center of gravity for the creative energy of the region. It offered a forum in which to bring Buryat culture into a broader international experience, enabling the world to learn more about the unique art of the peoples of the Baikal region. In this context, it is worth noting that a unique installation was created for the work Primordial Architecture by artist Marco Bravura, displaying the mosaics within a yurt, the traditional Mongolian-Buryat dwelling.

Artists in Exhibition: Jacopo Casadei, Miriam Dessi, Melisa Fassora Soledad, Sandy Flinto, Marco Fellini, Roberta Grasso, Bartosz Keska, Francesca Merciari, Silvia Naddeo, Alessandra Palestini, Matylda Tracewska

For three years, the Thesis Award of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna has celebrated the institution’s most promising artists. On June 8, Post, an exhibition dedicated to this work, will be inaugurated within the Academy’s exhibition gallery. A catalog containing images and critical contributions about the work will be presented in accordance with the event by O. Bakkali, Councillor for Culture of the City of Ravenna, and Paul Valenti, Head of Culture for the Province of Ravenna. The catalog was designed by Emilio Macchia, a young graphic designer who lives between Ravenna and Maastrict, winner of the Ram 2011 (initiative of the Young Artists Office of the City of Ravenna).

Each year, two young curators, in collaboration with the Office of the City of Ravenna Young Artists and the Young Artists’ Office of the City of Modena, select four artists from among the graduates in the academic year just closed. The winners are then launched into the contemporary art system with an exhibition and accompanying critical text.

In 2009, curators Claudio Musso, Silvia Loddo and Sabina Ghinassi presented the work of Jacopo Casadei, Bartosz Keska, Miriam Dessi and Sandy Flinto at the gallery Ninapì in Ravenna. In 2010, Fulvio Chimento and Antonella Malaguti presented Mark Fellini, Matylda Tracewska, Francesca Merciari and Valeria Pershyna within the Museo Carlo Zauli in Faenza (also including artists Melisa Fassora Soledad and Erica Perugia). In 2011, Raffaele Grassi and Eléonore Quattrone selected Roberta Grasso, Makiko Yanagawa, Silvia Naddeo and Alessandra Palestini, whose exhibition was held in the Rasponi Crypt and Hanging Gardens of the Palace of the Province.

An artist’s residency in Moscow and St Petersburg was created in 2010 by SoloMosaico and reprised in 2011, granted to the best mosaic amongst the Thesis Prize winners each year.

Musivum Gallery director Daniela Bravura speaks with Russia Today about the gallery’s new exhibition from artist Olga Soldatova (video).

Russian artist Olga Soldatova, whose work takes inspiration from Deineka’s themes, was a special guest of the evening. A new mosaic panel welcoming the visitors was designed by the SoloMosaico studio and featured a mosaic heart by Dusciana Bravura with the writing “ I LOVE DEINEKA” . Guests took away colored tesserae in memory of this special event dedicated to mosaic art, represented by Moscow’s most beautiful metro station, a jewel loved by all Muscovites at 33 meters underground.

From a Tengrinews.kz report:

“Installation works and sculptures, created by Italian artists Dusciana Bravura, Giulio Candussio, Marco DeLuca, Roberta Grasso, Nane Zavagno, were presented in the Republic Palace building in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The audience was extremely impressed by the large-scale installation called Alchemy made by Venice artist Dusciana Bravura. The artist used a thousand of images from 19th and 20th century masterpieces. Bravura transferred these images on to glass and created a new composition that looks like a manufacturing enterprise that converts art into gold.

The sculpture Stones by Zavagno , Luna-Ghiaccio-Sole-Fuoco by Giulio Candussio, Cipresso, La Sposa, Il Monte e la Nuvola, Di Sole e Di Luna, Il Velo d’Oro, Galla Placidia, Manta by Marco DeLuca and Memory about a Dream, an installation by Roberta Grasso represented a selection of mosaic work of the Ahkmetov collection, to offer to Kazakhstan and Eurasian visitors a perspective on the contemporary expressions of mosaic art.

Mosaic art is well represented in the city of Almaty in the many public works and fountain created by Kazakhstan artist Vladimir Tverdokhlebov, in his lifelong career.”

Презентация Третьего интернационального Соревнования «Мозаика и Архитектура» совпало по времени с премией этого года, присужденной архитекторам Карамеле Агостине и Джузеппе Лучиано за их реконструкцию площади Bottari, Caulonia Marina (RC), Италия. Связанная с группой «Trend Mosaic», премия нацелена на продвижение мозаики, особенно как элемента архитектуры, а не чисто декоративной. Комитет, возглавляемый куратором и архитектором Паоло Коретти, рассматривал проекты из Австрии, Португалии, Южной Африки, Израиля, Италии, США и России.

In her often monumental works, Pascale Beauchamp uses the careful selection and manipulation of pebbles to reinterpret mineral and geological landscapes. The group CaCO3, formed in 2006 by Aniko Ferreira de Silva, Giuseppe Donnaloia and Pavlos Mavromatidis– all trained within the School for Restoration of Mosaics in Ravenna – uses the inclination of finely cut tesserae to suggests plant and animal life. Since the Byzantine era, mosaic artists have sought to amplify the effect of light in their work by arranging the tiles at a slight angle to the plane. Based on this simple observation, CaCO3 expands the potential “language” of the tessera to create refined, original mosaics capable of giving life to matter.

The fascination, the symbolism of light, be it physical, philosophical, or metaphysical: this was the Pavillion of the State of San Marino, which took part in the 2011 Venice Biennale with the exhibition Light in Action. The exhibition, curated by Valerio Pradal, featured the work of Dorothee Albrecht, Marco Bravura, Cristian Ceccaroni, Daniela Comani, Ottavio Fabbri, Verdi Marzi, Patrizia Merendi, Omar Paolucci, Lars Teichmann, Thea Tini, and Daniela Tonelli.

The 2012 edition of SoloMosaico will feature an in-depth article on the presence of mosaic in last year’s Biennale, including Verdiano Marzi, Marco Bravura, and Oxana Mas, who represented Ukraine.

As Avvakumov shared in his presentation of the concept: “The central theme of the 2011 Biennale, “Rewriting the Worlds”, is quite literally represented in this exhibition: mosaic, the traditional ‘music of the stone’, has been ‘rewritten’ and re-conceptualized across modern architectural and artistic media – from massive brick to pixilized tessera – by contemporary masters of architecture and visual art.”

“Reliquary” presented work by: Yuri Grigorian, Yuri Avvakumov, Aliona Kirtsova, Dmitri Bush, Sergej Chuklov, Totan Kuzembaev, Ilia Utkin, Sergej Choban, Slava Mizin «Blue Noses», ArtBlia, Obledenenije Arkhitektorov, Olga Soldatova, Dusciana Bravura, Marco De Luca, Marco Bravura, Matilda Traschevska, Toyoharu Kii, Pelagia Anghelopoulou, Verdiano Marzi, and Giulio Candussio.

The exhibition has been accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, curated by Yuri Avvakumov and designed by Igor Boury.

This year’s recipients were Yuri Albert (Project of the Year), Polina Kanis (Young Artist) and Anastasia Ryabova (Media Art). The awards were presented by British director Peter Greenaway, who also gave a lecture at the event and showed a fragment from his new multimedia installation “Leonardo’s Last Supper”.

Work by all 40 finalists was displayed in the Central House of Artists, including pieces by SoloMosaico collaborator Alexei Mikheev (Young Artists nominee) and the Iced Architects Group (Project of the Year nominees), Ilya Bilashenko Alexei Kononenko, Ilya Voznesensky, and Igor Boury, who took part in Musivum Gallery’s 2011 exhibition “Reliquarium”, a special project of the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art.

Orsoni Smalti Veneziani has been creating Venetian smalti and gold mosaic since 1888.
We have created the Orsoni Prize to honor the creation of contemporary mosaic fine art. Maestro Lucio Orsoni, great grandson of Orsoni
founder and current Honorary President of Angelo Orsoni and Pino Bisazza, the founder and President of Trend Group and premier art collector, will judge the competition.
Maestro Orsoni and Dottor Bisazza will award the Grand Prize to the individual who best exemplifies the use of Orsoni product in a mosaic representing excellent technique and unique artistic vision. Four additional artists will also be recognized for their work with one Honorable Mention and three Finalists.
We are very pleased to announce that the entries for the 2011 Orsoni Prize can now be any size, weight and dimension. This means that all architectural and large mosaics made with 75% Orsoni material are eligible.
The Grand Prize: Euro 1,000
Transportation to Venice, Italy, to attend the Orsoni Master in Mosaic, a one week class between October 2009-October 2010.
6 nights at Domus Orsoni
All 5 winners will be represented at Orsoni with framed photographic posters exhibited in the Master Mosaic studio.

Every year, RAM sees the participation of new and talented artists, and the winners figure prominently in the contemporary art national panorama. CaCo3 and Silvia Naddeo are the artists selected this year ex aequo in the category of mosaic.

Organized annually by the Mirada Association, the competition this year availed itself of a distinguished committee composed of Maria Rita Bentini (Coordinator of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Ravenna), Claudia Casali (Director of Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza), GianLuca Costantini (cartoonist), Sabina Ghinassi (art critic and curator), and Eletrra Stamboulis (Deputy of Educational Department of the Municipality of Ravenna), in collaboration with Massimiliano Fabbri and Claudio Musso, a group that will oversee the project from the creation of works through the installation of its final exhibition.

This year, for the first time, the program offers the additional prize of an artists’ residency and exhibition at the Harlem Studio Fellowship in New York, with the support of Montrasio Arte and Mirada Association.

The RAM project is part of Giovani Artisti Italiani (Young Italian Artists).

Centro Internazionale
di Documentazione sul Mosaico
Museo d’Arte della città di Ravenna
Via di Roma, 13
48100 Ravenna
tel. 0544 482185
www.mosaicoravenna.it

Execution: direct method, golds in all variants, smalti, brass and iron thin layers Size: mt. 5 x 2,70

Prix Picassiette 2010

23 octobre – 20 novembre 2010

En avant-première
Exposition Enzo Tinarelli du 9 octobre 2010 au 22 février 2011
Chapelle Saint-Éman, rue Saint-Éman

Rencontres internationales

Exposition de 230 œuvres, Chapelle Fulbert, lycée Fulbert, rue Saint-Chéron
Du 23 octobre au 21 novembre 2010,

Inauguration : Samedi 23 octobre 11h

Conférences le 23 octobre :
14h 30
Barbara Morigi : Ravenne, capitale de la mosaïque
15h 30
Chantal Demonchaux : Paray-le-Monial, de la céramique à la mosaïque

Conférences le 20 novembre :
14h 30
Marielle Magliozzi : Architecture et Art singulier
16h 00
Béatrice Propetto Marzi : Exercices de traduction

Prix Picassiette

Name of artists awarded at Prix Picassiette 2010 :

1er PRIX PROFESSIONNELS Verdiano Marzi ( Saint-Marin)

2ème PRIX PROFESSIONNELS Christèle Albertini ( France)

3ème PRIX PROFESSIONNELS Lynne Chinn (USA)

Félicitations du Jury Sophie Drouin ( Canada)

1er PRIX AMATEURS INITIES Emanuelle Meslin-Cafiero (France)

2ème PRIX AMATEURS INITIES Catherine Reneaux (France)

3ème PRIX AMATEURS INITIES Silvia Danelutti (Italy)

Félicitations du Jury Corinne Betron (France)

Launched in 1996, the Prix Picassiette, that see the presence of 230 people, professional artists and amateurs, includes also the sections: PRIX AMATEURS, PRIX JEUNES/GROUPES, PRIX VOTE DU PUBLIC.

The Association Mosaico Oggi and its collaborators
ANNOUNCE the 6th INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION:

A): on the project of a mosaic to be set up in a Park or indoor.
This project is opened to all mosaic students from Art Academies, high school specializing in art subjects, Art Institutes and public or private Schools of Art.

B):for the knowledge and study of contemporary mosaic, addressed to all students of Contemporary Art and to all university students who have passed a History of Contemporary Art examination with reference to contemporary mosaic and its situation, and also to students who will be preparing a dissertation on artistic expression and/or who wish to develop a deeper understanding on this issue.

C):on the knowledge of old and contemporary mosaic,
addressed to secondary school students who have had the opportunity of learning about mosaic during their studies and want to develop this further.

D):on the realization of a mosaic with free topic and measures, addressed to young mosaic students under 35 years and older than 18 years on June 30, 2011.

ANNOUNCE the 6th INTERNATIONAL EXIBITION for Students:
March 29 /May 3- 2011- Chiostro degli Agostiniani –Museo Civico di Bracciano
Inauguration: on Tuesday, March 29 at 12 a.m.
(tel.:+39-0699805106,- Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. 9/13 a.m. -Sat. Sun. 10 a.m./06 p.m.)
(all the works, considered suitable, will be shown in the exposition)

The Association Mosaico Oggi and its collaborators
PROCLAIM A STUDY SEMINAR
(with credits)

-for an in-depth tuition in Planning and Utilization of landscape and public resorts (indoor and outdoor) addressed to all students, including those studying architecture.
-An Open Forum, in which artists, persons studying art, mosaic schools, students, the authorities interested in cultural and didactic policies will debate to encourage an interest in contemporary mosaic amongst younger students by helping them to explore and develope their creativity. A school should be considered by students as a place that is always ready to new forms of creativity. A new interest must be discovered in ancient tesserae that will help to move them away from the purely historical and traditional and, thanks to new methods and forms of expression, to revive and renew them.
-The Seminar and the Forum will take place on Tuesday, March 29 – 2011, at 10,30 a.m. in the Conference Hall of the “Archivio Storico di Bracciano”

-There will be a prize-giving ceremony for all winners at the end of the workshops.

REGULATIONS

1) All projects, proposals, ideas, and brief dissertations as well as the mosaics must be sent , with self addressed packaging and postage, not later than Friday, March 25th 2011 to the following address:

CONCORSO “MOSAICO OGGI”
Chiostro degli Agostiniani – Museo Civico – via Umberto I, 5 – 00062 Bracciano ( Rome – Italy )

2) All the Mosaic works are sent at their own risk and paid for by the participants, and collected at the end of the Meeting on Saturday May 3th 2011 or not later than May 4th 2011 (or at a date arranged with the organization).
3) All the works not collected in time will not be returned and they will become property of the Association “ Mosaico Oggi” and could be used by it, at its unobjectionable judgment, for future art exhibitions in Italy or abroad and/or for a future Contemporary Mosaic Museum.

4) the works of this announcement, which arrive as paper works or DVDs will not be returned.

AWARDS:

“MOSAICO OGGI” AWARD PLATE, offered by “Mosaico Oggi” to the winners of every class.

ANTON PANOV AWARD, offered since 2006 by”National Institution Culture Center 48th Fine Arts Colony, Strumica-Macedonia”.
This prestigious international award exists for 48 years; every year it gathers between 15 and 25 winners from every country in the world and consists of a three week workshop in Strumica (Macedonia) from 1st to 20th August 2011
During their stay in Strumica the winners will accomplish mosaic works that will be exhibited together with the works of other participants at the Macedonian Symposium that will take place in September to mark their National Liberation celebrations.

“ORSONI/VEROLI – BRACCIANO”AWARD: for 2 mosaic students over 18 years of age called ”Orsoni/Veroli Award”:
it will consist of one week workshop in Bracciano (March 30st –April 7th 2011). During this period two winners will be attending the Congress, visiting the Exibition and experimenting a full immersion in the “Mosaico Veneziano”by using the vitreous tesserae of the factory “Orsoni” of Venice, while tutored by a supervisor of “Mosaico Oggi”.

“ORSONI/VEROLI/MARROCCO – NARDO’”AWARD a further prize for mosaic students over 18 years of age:
it will consist of a stay of one week in Nardò (LE) seat of the” Museo del Mosaico Contemporaneo”(in the Acquaviva Castle) and seat of a State School of Fine Arts. During this period two winners shall do a full immersion using the vitreous tesserae of Orsoni Factory of Venice and marble tesserae by Veroli and Marrocco factories.

“LA SAPIENZA-VALLE GIULIA” AWARD:
addressed to students of Contemporary Art and to students in Project and Environment Administration or Architecture , winners of section B of the international competition.
It consists of a stay of one day (and one night) for a visit to art works of contemporary mosaics in one Italian city.

Further awards will be assigned, by eventual sponsors, before the dead-line :March 20th 2011.

The primary aim of the Contest, now in its sixth edition, is to stimulate a new interest in Contemporary Mosaic and to encourage creativity among younger people.
For the realization of this project, the Scientific Committee will be formed by:

COMITATO SCIENTIFICO
Gazanfer Bayram Promotore della erogazione del Premio “Anton Panov” di Strumica (MK)
Membro Direttivo AIMC Skopje – Macedonia
Roberto Carassai Presidente consiglio Comunale di Bracciano
Luciana Cassanelli Docente di Storia Sociale dell’Arte, Università “La Sapienza”- Roma
Claudio Cervo Assessore all’Ambiente – Comune di Bracciano
Fernanda Chiffi Docente di Filosofia e Pedagogia – I.I.S. Nardò (Le)
Emilija Crvenkovska Docente dell’Università di Skopje – Macedonia
Luisa Decorti Designer – Roma
Carlo Falangone Assessore alle Politiche Culturali – Comune di Nardò (Le)
Luigi Paolo Finizio Critico d’Arte
Daniela Fonti Docente di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea –
Facoltà di Architettura Valle Giulia Sapienza Università – Roma
Manfred Hoehn Presidente dell’AIMC- Monaco – Germania
Achille M. Ippolito Facoltà di Architettura Valle Giulia – Sapienza Università di Roma
Presidente del Corso di Laurea in “Progettazione e Gestione dell’Ambiente”
Marilena Ludovici Giornalista – (Direttore della rivista “Riscoperta del Mosaico”) – Roma
Simonetta Lux Docente di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea, Sapienza Università di Roma
Alessandra Manieri Storico dell’Arte Contemporanea – Roma
Cetty Muscolino Coordinatrice scuola restauro mosaico-Sovrintendenza Beni Architettonici
Ravenna
Gianpiero Nardelli Assessore alle Politiche Culturali – Comune di Bracciano
Patrizia Poggi Gallerista – Ravenna
Romina Sicuro Vicepresidente “Mosaico Oggi” Architetto con Dottorato di Ricerca presso la
Facoltà di Architettura “Valle Giulia” La Sapienza di Roma
Cecilia Sodano Direttore Museo Civico – Bracciano
Roberta Strappini Docente di pianificazione territoriale, Facoltà “Ludovico Quaroni” –
Sapienza Università di Roma
Fernanda Tollemeto Presidente dell’Associazione “Mosaico Oggi” Roma – membro direttivo
dell’Associazione Internazionale Mosaicisti Contemporanei (AIMC)
Claudio Zambianchi Docente di Storia dell’Arte Contemporanea Sapienza Università di Roma

_______________________________
Organizzazione: “ Nova Musa” SPA tel./fax 06 9980 5106
Orario: Mar./Ven. ore: 9/13 – Sab,/Dom ore:10/18 – e-mail: museocivico.bracciano@novamusa.it

“Mosaico Oggi” Associazione Culturale Arte e Design– sede legale: Via San Girolamo Emiliani, 15 – 00152 ROMA
Tel.:+39 06 86908269 –Tel/fax:+39 06 9985236 – cell.+39 3687361558 www.mosaicooggi.it fernandatollemeto@quipo.it

www.lorenzodiloreto.com

Artists: Pelagia Angelopoulou, Dusciana Bravura, Marco De Luca, Marco Bravura, Verdiano Marzi, Nane Zavagno, the CaCO3 Group, the Artplace Studio of Contemporary Mosaics, Alexander Korchuganov.

The semantic focus of this exhibition in ARTPLAY’s Great Hall is represented by five site-specific installations by acclaimed mosaic artists. Their theme is the interaction between mosaics and architecture and the different ways this genre of art may exist in a modern architectural, urban and cultural environment. Another section displays work from the children’s mosaic studio of Dmitrii Kotov (Russia), and the studio of Encho and Raina Rachevi (Bulgaria).

Many attendees crowded the Grand Hall of ARTPLAY Centre in Moscow to take part in the inauguration.The exhibition has been honored by the presence of M. Jean De Gliniasty, Ambassador of France in the Russian Federation, who, along with the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Cinema Department of Kaluga Region, Mr. Vadim Terekhin, and Mr. Potyomkin Vladimir Vasilievich, Deputy Governor of the Kaluga region, had visited the exhibition in a preview event. Semyon Mikhailowsky, Rector of the celebrated Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg was present at the opening, as well as the many visitors that travelled a long way from Europe, various parts of Russia, and Kazakhistan.
The catalogue of the exhibition, curated by Egor Larichev, features images of the art works and artists’ presentations of the installations.
Marco De Luca based his project on a formal quest for connection between the natural aspects of landscape and those of architecture. While his first art object clearly follows the outline of natural forms (mountain-cloud), the shape of the others is unadulterated fantasy that is gradually estranged from natural sources of the image to assume a harmonious integration with architecture.

Marco Bravura has devised an installation entitled ‘Primordial Architecture’. He uses gold, light and sound for a composition of six bird’s nests hung in the branches of a metaphysical tree represented by a column of light – the artist’s tribute to the diligence and creative capacity of birds, who are natural-born architects.
Dusciana Bravura’s installation is her model of a factory for ‘production’ of art, constructed from industrial piping and entirely covered with mosaics. Dusciana reproduces in mosaics 1000 of the world’s best-known art from 19th-century Impressionist painting to contemporary work. The installation is designed so that visitors walk under the pipes and enter the artistic space. At the end of the path stands Dusciana’s version of the famous ready-made ‘Fountain’ by Marcel Duchamp: a drop of liquid gold falls into a urinal – made from a distillation of 1000 different works of art.
Pelagia Angelopoulou’s five bas-reliefs using the mosaic assemblage technique form an altar screen of sorts – an outpost of nature confronting civilization in the industrial-urbanistic surroundings of the ARTPLAY exhibition space, itself located in the buildings of a former factory.
‘Universe, Seasons, Rose’ by Verdiano Marzi sets the tempo for the music of life, which every living thing in our world must dance to, plants and animals alike.

“Antique Mosaic meets contemporary mosaic”

Dear mosaic friends,

At the 11th congress in Gaziantep(Turkey) the General Assembly was highly pleased about the proposal which was made by Mr.Nikos Tolis, to carry out the next congress 2010 in Greece, a country where the comprehension and execution of mosaic was born 600 years before Christ,
a technique which is still valid up to our days.
But living in the 21st century the mosaic artists worldwide take up the challenge to develop new ideas and ways for creating mosaic works of our times. Especially in a country with a strong Byzantine heritage, in particular in ecclesiastical environment. So, the coming congress in Greece might give a good opportunity to show contemporary mosaic in this field.
I’m sure that this congress in Greece will have a great resonance and I hope you might be able to join this congress stimulated by curious interest full of expectations.

It is also planned again to provide for the Congress participants a wonderful sightseeing tour to the most interesting locations of mosaic and other outstanding unique archaeological places throughout the country of the Occident origin from October 5th to 9th.

Manfred Hoehn AIMC President

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General Information:

President of the Congress: Nikos Tolis

Date: 30th September to October 4th 2010

Venue: Amphitheatre at the B.M.Teocharaki Foundation of Arts and Music in the centre
of the city, next to the Syntagma Square
Concept: Oral presentations, visual show, panel discussions, poster exhibition

Topics: Contemporary mosaic as art form
Contemporary mosaic in architecture and urban environment
Traditional mosaic – iconography and décor
Antique mosaics – new discoveries at archaeological sites
Presentations of Mosaic schools and manufactors
Restoration

Poster exhibition: The posters should have the dimension 100 x 70 cm showing
images of contemporary mosaic as art works, in architecture or in
urban environment.
These posters must be produced by the mosaicist himself and forwarded to
Athens
Every poster exhibitor can bring along in his hand luggage a mosaic sample
showing materials and texture.

This is the approximate congress program depending of the numbers of the people who want to make a contribution:

°Arrival day, September 30th 2010

°Day 1, Friday October 1 : Morning: Opening session, opening of the poster exhibition
Afternoon: Contemporary mosaic presentations

°Day 2, Saturday October 2: Morning: Contemporary mosaic in architecture
and urban environment. Presentations
Afternoon: Antique mosaics, new discoveries at archaeological sites

°Day 3, Sunday October 3 : Morning: Contemporary mosaic presentations, mosaic schools
and manufactures. Presentations
Afternoon: Antique mosaic, panel discussions

°Day 4, Monday October 4 : Morning: AIMC General Assembly
Afternoon: Beginning of sightseeing tour through Athens
Evening : Final party of the congress

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Languages: The official congress language is English. Simultaneous translation is provided.
The time for each speaker is limited to 15-20 minutes depending on the number of the
Speakers.

Curriculum vitae: All new associates who want to contribute posters or reports or presentations must forward a CD to our office in Ravenna containing the CV and photo images of their art works before May 30, 2010.

Participation fee:. Regular participant – 30 Euro.
Student – 15 Euro.

III Международную выставку современной мозаики «Архитектура и мозаика», которая пройдет
с 8 октября по 7 ноября 2010 года в Центре дизайна ARTPLAY на Яузе.

Участники выставки: Пелагия Ангелопуло, Дyшана Бравура, Марко Де Лука, Марко Бравура, Вердиано Марци, Нане Заванье, Группа CaCO3, студия современной мозаики Artplace и другие.

Смысловым центром экспозиции, которая разместится в пространстве Большого выставочного зала ARTPLAY, станут пять инсталляций знаменитых художников ‐ мозаичистов, созданные специально для этой выставки. Они посвящены взаимодействию мозаики и архитектуры, а также путям существования этого жанра искусства в современной архитектурной, урбанистической и культурной ситуации. Отдельной частью экспозиции станет секция детской мозаики студии Дмитрия Котова (Россия) и студии Энчо и Райны Рачевых (Болгария).

Марко Бравура создаст инсталляцию «Исконная Архитектура» из золота, света и звука, состоящую из шести птичьих гнезд, висящих на ветвях метафорического дерева, образованного столбом света – дань художника старанию и творческим способностям птиц, рожденных природой архитекторами. Инсталляция Душаны Бравуры будет представлять собой модель фабрики по «производству» искусства, созданную из промышленных труб, целиком покрытых мозаикой. Душана воспроизведет в технике мозаики 1000 наиболее знаменитых произведений искусства начиная с картин импрессионистов XIX века и до наших дней. Инсталляция спроектирована таким образом, что посетители смогут проходить под трубами, войти в пространство произведения. В конце пути Душана изобразила реплику знаменитого ready-made Марселя Дюшана «Фонтан»: каплю расплавленного золота, падающую в писсуар – результат дистилляции 1000 произведений искусства. Пять барельефов Пелагии Ангелопуло, выполненных в технике мозаичного ассамбляжа составят подобие алтарной преграды – форпоста природы, противостоящей цивилизации в индустриально-урбанитическом окружении выставочного зала ARTPLAY, разместившегося в корпусах бывшего завода, а работа Вердиано Марци «Вселенная, Времена Года, Роза» задает темп музыки жизни, под которую танцует каждое живое существо в мире, будь то животное или растение.

«Мозаика – самодостаточная материя искусства, поэтому во многих культурах и цивилизациях она считается священной. Для мира современности, контакт с этой материей – величайший шанс самопознания. Любое искусство требует времени. Мозаика – не исключение, она раскрывается постепенно, чаруя и притягивая взгляд зрителя. Находясь в особых отношениях со временем, именно мозаика предоставляет
нам шанс ощутить близость вечности» – говорит куратор выставки Егор Ларичев.

О Solo mosaico:
SoloMosaico – международный культурный проект, основанный Исмалом Ахметовым в 2007 году. Проект сочетает в себе поддержку традиционного и современного искусства, издательскую деятельность, выставочную работу и другие творческие инициативы, направленные на развитие и продвижение мозаичного искусства во всем мире. SoloMosaico представляет всемирно известных художников, которые в своем творчестве используют технику мозаики.

Офисы SoloMosaico расположены в Равенне и в Москве, что позволяет SoloMosaico непрерывно расширять международную деятельность.

SoloMosaico сотрудничает с кураторами и критиками в области современной мозаики по всему миру.

SoloMosaico организовал и курировал ряд выставок в Москве и Равенне: «International Artists in Moscow» (ARTPLAY, 2008), «Художник и Мозаика» (МУАР, 2009), а также выступил в роли со-организатора Фестиваля Мозаики в Равенне (2009).

О Кураторе:
Егор Ларичев родился в Москве, закончил отделение Истории искусства Исторического факультета МГУ, работал редактором, архитектурным и художественным критиком, куратором. С 2002 по 2009 годы – главный редактор журнала WAM (World Art Музей). С 2004 года – куратор выставок студии ДЭЗ№5. С 2009 года – сотрудничает с проектом SoloMosaico.

О центре ARTPLAY:
Новый центр ARTPLAY, открывшийся в районе Курской на территории старого огромного завода, уже становится традиционной площадкой для самых интересных и ярких московских и международных арт-проектов, связанных с активной молодой аудиторией. ARTPLAY инициирует и поддерживает культурные проекты, представляющие результаты творчества молодых, а также проекты, нацеленные на образование и развитие творческой молодежи.

Время работы выставки: с 8 октября по 7 ноября с 12.00 до 20.00
Вход свободный

Центр дизайна ARTPLAY на Яузе
Большой выставочный зал (3 корп. 2 этаж)
Ул. Нижняя Сыромятническая 5/7
www.artplay.ru

The project specifically created for the occasion by Tracewska is entitled Trompe l’oeil, and it is installed in the studio of the great sculptor Carlo Zauli, who passed away in 2002 ( the Museum Zauli is also a workshop). The installation simulates the presence of people and objects in this place of contemplation. The visitor can discover here small mosaic still life works that are a mirror, a sieve, a piece of paper, but also a scraped wall and a shade of a carpet beater, of metaphysical expression.

China is the biggest manufacturer to produce mosaic, from 200 manufacturers’ years ago to 1000 now, the output and sales volume is double increasing. The output has been increased from RMB10billion to RMB30billion. It is estimated that there will be a fast growth period for the Chinese mosaic market in next ten years.
2010 Guangzhou (International) Mosaic and Artistic Decoration Fair (Mosaic China 2010) will be held during March 26-28, 2010 at Poly World Trade Center, Guangzhou, China. Simultaneous events will be started at the same time such as mosaic cultural forum, the exquisite decoration and design consulting meeting, interior design salon, to promote exchanges and cooperation in trade and foreign mosaic, and the mosaic design of language applications and consultation in order to promote the use of mosaic in more areas
As the mosaic exhibition, there are 200 gathering together to exhibit the latest mosaic products and technique. The exhibition scope contains the glass mosaic, ceramic mosaic, shell mosaic, crystal mosaic, stone mosaic, metal mosaic, coconut shell mosaic, sandstone mosaic, gold mosaic, silver mosaic, bark mosaic, bamboo mosaic etc, you can have a overview of the reсent situation and future trend of mosaic products.
Mosaic China 2010 is the must attend event for peoples eager to find new suppliers and get in touch with market in China. So if 26 to 28 March turns out to be your busiest week in 2010, we’re committed to ensure it’s also your most rewarding one. Welcome to China, welcome to Mosaic China 2010!

More than two hundred people participated in the three day opening of Dusciana Bravura’s solo exhibition “%” from the 4th to the 6th of November. They came to admire the site specific installation accompanied by music composed by Luciano Titi. The show covered the central nave of the Arteficerie Almagià, an ex-industrial compound, that following a prestigious restoration project, was transformed into a multipurpose centre for shows and conferences. Thousands of millefiori telling the story of each individual in the city of Ravenna: men, women and children. A kind of mosaic representing the identity of our city’s social fabric: from fragmentation to beauty. It was a great success for contemporary mosaic. The artist was pleased to receive many important figures such as promoters Giuliana Bruni and Sabina Ghinassi from the RavennaArte Association, as well as two public event promoters for the RavennaMosaico Festival: Alberto Cassani, the Culture Councillor for the municipality of Ravenna and Maria Grazia Marini head of the tourism and culture office. The Director of Ravenna’s MAR Museum Claudio Spadoni and Maria Rita Bentini, Art Historian and Coordinator of the Fine Arts Academy of Ravenna also made an appearance not to mention artists such as Daniele Strada, Elisa Simoni, Rosetta Berardi, Luciana Notturni, Giuliano Babini and Marco De Luca along with Marco Cavalcoli and Luigi De Angelis from the company Fanny & Alexander. Zsolt Pava, the Mayor of Pecs, Hungary, nominated the Capital of European culture 2010, and the Mayor of Tuzla in Boznia-Herzigovina, Jasmin Imamovic were both on an official visit in Ravenna and were warmly welcomed.

A new series of purchases will be on display, produced by mosaicists of Ravenna to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the collection, which will become a part of the contemporary mosaics collections of the MAR and increase the new purchases of the museum.

Dusciana Bravura is one of the artists selected and her mosaic work “Unicorn” will be part of the collection of modern and contemporary mosaics, permanently exhibited in the Loggetta Lombardesca.

The title of the exhibition, “THREE x THREE , a comparison of two generations”, demonstrates this continuity. Three masters: Ines Morigi Berti, Sergio Cicognani, Giuseppe Ventura, who represent the origin, almost in a prophetic sense, of the school, for three students who later became masters: Giuliano Babini, Marco De Luca, Paolo Racagni, who represent the continuation and together the metamorphosis; the change which is in continual evolution with the generation of their students.
The overlapping of these generations in the same state school, the Gino Severini State Institute of Mosaic Art is an indispensable element for understanding the school of thought in Ravenna concerning mosaics.

An international audience filled Sala D’Attorre and listened to the presentations given by Fabrizio Matteucci, Ravenna’s Mayor; Alberto Cassani, Deputy for Culture of Ravenna Municipality; Mr. Ismail Ahmetov, patron of the initiative; and by curator and art critic Laura Gavioli. At the end of the presentation, conducted by Maria Grazia Marini (Head of the Tourism and Cultural Activities Office and organizer of RavennaMosaico festival), the President of the A.I.M.C. Manfred Hohen and author Jo Ann Locktov have expressed their best wishes for the future of the magazine.

The central role of Ravenna as the capital of mosaic of Byzantine tradition has been reaffirmed, and its extraordinary contemporary vitality has been recognized and highlighted by the sixteen mosaic exhibitions organized in occasion of the RavennaMosaico festival. Mr. Ahmetov declared that the magazine aims to encourage a wider appreciation of mosaic art, which is presently living a new renaissance. The magazine, with the subtitle “History, Contemporaneity, Technology” contains contributions from art critics, editors and experts in mosaic art, and artists and teachers in the sector. Great attention and care is given to the quality of the photographs which fill the publication. “SOLOMOSAICO” is a collector’s edition aimed at an international public interested in mosaic art and is also intended as a vehicle for renewed interest in mosaics throughout the world.

Published in Russian and English, the magazine explores the potential of an art capable of offering important information about the past and provides an opportunity for study and a wide range of contemporary art. The articles are divided according to the topic on which the respective authors have focused their attention: the section SPOTLIGHT presents an article by Tonino Guerra, poet and eminent cultural figure, which gives us a taste of the oriental art which has fascinated and inspired him so much; the section on contemporary art includes Michele Tosi, author of Mosaico Contemporaneo, (Contemporary Mosaics) who invites us to “listen” to the mosaics of Marco DeLuca; Nall Hollis, an artist from the United States who had Salvador Dalì as his mentor; Giulio Candussio, art director of Trend; Alexander Kornoukhov; Lucio Orsoni; and the Perdomo family in Mexico.

The historic aspect is represented by an interesting contribution by Mohamed Salem, who explores the use of mosaics in Islamic architecture. An excursus on the mosaic schools in Ravenna examines the educational offerings of the city. Every issue gives ample space to the relationship between mosaics and children: the editor Violeta Vasilchina presents the school of Burgas, in Bulgaria, whose founder and ‘soul’, Raina Racheva, accompanies the children in a voyage of discovery of mosaics. The section on conferences, exhibitions and news completes the range of features offered.

The content of this new issue therefore reflects the extensive range of the subject and the complexity of the world of mosaic art.
“SOLOMOSAICO” hopes to do justice, with increasing satisfaction to the readers, to the breadth and variety of mosaic art, thus helping to disseminate knowledge about mosaics in the world.
SoloMosaico can be consulted online at the site www.solo-mosaico.com.

Presiding at the opening were Cetty Muscolino, Director of the Museum, Alberto Cassani, Deputy for Culture of Ravenna Municipality, Maria Grazia Marini, Head of the Tourism and Cultural Activities Office and Raina Racheva, Director of the Burgas school in Bulgaria. Dr. Cassani, Ismail Ahmetov and Raina Racheva gave the presentation speeches underlining the importance of opening such a relevant, international festival about mosaic with an exhibition of works by children, that represent the precious future of the world.

The creativity and lyricism of the works exhibited have received enthusiastic approval and appreciation by the numerous visitors and have attracted the attention of the children of Ravenna that came to the show. SoloMosaico has sponsored the initiative, aiming to highlight a school of high educational value such as the Burgas School, founded in 1979 by Raina Racheva.

The Children’s Mosaic school directed by Racheva has become an example not only in Bulgaria but also abroad: exhibitions from Paris to Japan, from Rotterdam to Algeria, have demonstrated the richness of the experience taking place at the school. The Museum Director, Cetty Muscolino, affirms that the National Museum is pleased to cooperate with SoloMosaico in the organization of this exhibition, which is perfectly in harmony with the goals of education and art appreciation that it has always promoted. With this genuine example of youthful art, the activity of SoloMosaico and its President, Ismail Ahmetov, continue to promote the knowledge and the diffusion of mosaic art.

Ismail Ahmetov , founder of the SoloMosaico project, has been received at the town hall by Ravenna’s major , Fabrizio Matteucci and by the deputy for Culture Alberto Cassani.

At the meeting was also present Elettra Stamboulis, deputy for Education department, who has recently visited the Fine Art Academy of St. Petersburg. The International office of the magazine SoloMosaico, created by Ismail Ahmetov, is located since April in Ravenna.

Photo: Zani

In cooperation with AIMC – the International Association of Contemporary Mosaicists – has organized three exhibitions: in San Domenico the panels of the master mosaicists from different continents; in the cloisters of the Casa Oriani the mosaic installations; at the Conference Centre of Largo Firenze a selection of works from all over the world on the relationship between mosaic and architecture.

More than 80 mosaicists coming from abroad have submitted their works. 54 mosaicists and mosaic works from Brasil, USA, Japan, Germany, Austria, France, Israel, Egypt, Canada and Italy have been selected.

RavennaMosaico Festival also includes a series of events, exhibitions, conferences, literary events, concerts and presentations.
A “lectio magistralis” of director Peter Greenaway will conclude the festival. A trained painter, Peter Greenaway is one of the great film directors of our time, an innovative curator and a challenging philosopher of cinema. His multi-media approach surpasses traditional media forms and aims at a visual language in its own right.
http://www.ravennamosaico.it/

In pursuit of his passion for mosaic, he started to collect mosaic art works. He subsequently gave birth to the SoloMosaico project, publishing the first collector’s edition magazine on mosaic art, in both Russian and English, as well as other publications. His collector’s activity spurred him to organize art exhibitions, thus providing splendid opportunities for artists to showcase their talents and for more and more art lovers to discover the appeal of mosaic.

Ismail Akhmetov graduated from Chelyabinsk State University as an engineer-physicist in 1984. In 1989 he started his own business and in 1995 he founded BARS Holding with a total of twenty companies throughout Russia and abroad.

Daniela Lombardi Bravura has always been involved in the arts. She has managed to combine her inherent interest in culture, specifically that of mosaic art, with a commitment to promotion and organization in this field.She provides general supervision of all SoloMosaico projects, overseeing activities in Russia and at the international level.

Daniela Bravura has been actively working with no profit organizations for years, functioning as project manager in public relation, event management and translation departments.

Tatyana Dyugurova graduated from the Faculty of History at Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical Institute in 1983 where she was also actively part of the editorial staff of the student newspaper.

She has been working as a teacher at the Municipal Science lyceum and Chelyabinsk Humanitarian Institute since 1983. In 2002 she presented a thesis for her Postgraduate Degree in Pedagogic. Tatyana is the author of more than 30 articles on pedagogical technologies and about the history of mosaics. She coordinates all educational activities of SoloMosaico, organizing master-classes for teachers and mosaic courses for children.

In September 2005, during the Valday Conference, he was invited to the Kremlin by the President of the Russian Federation along with other famous specialists in politics and economics both from Russia and abroad. Loris Marcucci operates in the field of business relations between Italy and Russia.

On April first, the opening event saw the presence of 800 people that filled the three sites of the Schusev State Museum for Architecture where the art exhibition had been held. After the introductory remarks by Mr. Ismail Ahkmetov, patron of the exhibition, the poet Tonino Guerra took floor inviting the audience to applaude the initiative. David Sarkysian, Director of Schusev Museum and Mr. Alberto Cassani, Deputy of Culture from Ravenna Municipality gave their presentation speech about the peculiarity of the exhibition that covered different aspects of mosaic art: from the glorious tradition of the past, exhibiting the Copies of the byzantine mosaics, declared Human heritage by UNESCO, to the contemporaneity expressed by the poetic “translations” into mosaic technique of Tonino Guerra’ designs and a selection of 13 valued and renown artists from various countries and continents.

The evening was also the occasion to present the second issue of SoloMosaico magazine, the collector’s edition about the mosaic world, featuring articles about history of mosaic and contemporary artists. The publication, hailed by the exhibition’s visitors, will be published in the English and Italian versions and presented in October during the Ravenna Mosaico Festival. More than three thousands people visited the exhibition, so confirming the success for the SoloMosaico project, whose objective is to focus attention on the world of mosaic, an art that is presentely living a world wide Renaissance.

The visitors are met by the white fairy-tale bird of amazing beauty with feathers made of smalt and small stones – the work of Duscana Bravura, contemporary mosaicist. A few steps upstairs and you are surrounded by the wonderful world of mosaics…

Opening: 1 April 6 p. m.
Address: 5/25 Vozdvizhenka Street, Moscow, Russia 119019
Metro stations: Lenin Library, Arbatskaya, Alexandrovsky Garden
Working hours: 11 a. m. – 7 p. m. Tuesday–Sunday

Dugald MacInnes and Lucio Orsoni spoke animatedly of proposals for future exhibitions. Lucio Orsoni is giving positive support in arranging an Extravaganza exhibition in Cannaregio, Venice, with Pino Bisazza – dates have yet to be arranged but watch this space!

The texts of the three Presentations follow (EMG, DM & TK).

Elaine M Goodwin – What is TE-21? Statement, Chartres, 25 October 2008.

What is TE-21? It is a new art movement created solely to give established professional artists of personally expressed mosaic the possibility of exhibiting together – internationally. We hope that what we have formed is an exciting opportunity for artists working in an otherwise marginalised facet of mosaic.

At present, we, the progenitors, are the first four founder members – myself (from England), Toyoharu Kii (from Japan), Dugald MacInnes (from Scotland) and Lucio Orsoni (from Venice) – four very diverse artists from four different countries but with one singular and exclusive aim. As this aim becomes more established, we wish to entice like-minded artists to join us, thus building up a core of artists worldwide who use mosaic solely as their means of self expression, i.e., where the content or voice of the work is paramount.

We are well aware that self expression is a minority aspect of mosaic, yet we are driven to create this new movement as we become ever more aware that mosaic is still not considered a worthy medium for addition to National Art Collections. For example, there is no contemporary mosaic work in the Tate Gallery in London. The Curator, Sir Nicholas Serota, has responded to any correspondence by continually saying that mosaic belongs to the Victoria and Albert Museum, an excellent museum in London but for the applied and decorative arts only.

Is mosaic ever to be accepted as a fine art medium? Yes, of course, aspects of mosaic do, and must, belong with the decorative arts, but one specific aspect of the medium, which is ignored or largely unexplored, belongs also to National Art Galleries and Collections. The example from England which I have just given is but one of many instances of a Curator of a leading National Modern Art Collection having a blinkered vision as to the full potential of the mosaic medium. MOSAIC is not recognized as a serious art form, and this is a lamentable situation.

One crucial element has not helped this predicament.

The very word ‘mosaic’ conjures up for many people a preconditioned understanding of the medium – that is, one which they recognize as either functional, utilitarian, decorative or having a religious content. Aware of this preconditioning, we – as a group – have deliberately dropped the word ‘mosaic’ from the movement’s name. TE-21 stands for Tessellated Expression for the 21st Century – which fortunately translates well into French and Italian.

We are indeed grateful to Chartres as a city with the foresight to have initiated an International Collection of contemporary works of personal expression, in the spirit of an enlightened Fine Art collector. This vision for the medium can be doubly witnessed today, both by the present exhibition of the city’s founding works here at the Galerie Chapelle St Eman; and by the very fact that we have been invited to give launching papers to this symposium!

I would like to expand a little more on what we mean by using the medium of mosaic for self expression. I know many of you, familiar with the many facets of mosaic, will be all too well aware of what I mean, but for clarity, please allow me to elaborate.

The creation of such a work is primarily concerned with concepts – with conveying deeply felt emotions or closely perceived ideas, and creating a work of art not through painterly or sculptural media, but through the unique materials to be found in the timeless medium of mosaic. The long lineage from which we all work is universally acknowledged to be rich and wondrous – but we must attach equal cultural importance to the expressive present period for mosaic.

So, each artist in the movement must have a profoundly-developed passion for mosaic, individually expressed through an established ‘voice’, i.e., a recognizable working style, where each can explore their realm of being through abstraction. By coming together and by creating a unified front, we feel we can form a strong and diverse force to fully re-present the medium.

Thus, to sum up, we have but one simple aim – to join together to present international mosaic exhibitions solely pursuing personal expression, and with crystal clarity to divorce mosaic from the ornamental and the functional and to establish a cerebral and visual genus for the medium as a potent one for contemporary expression.

Thank you.

Dugald MacInnes – TE-21 Statement, Chartres, 25 October 2008

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the city of Chartres, in particular to Patrick Maquaire and his colleagues, for once again organising magnificent exhibitions in such beautiful venues. Chartres is indeed becoming synonymous with international mosaic and it is a most fitting venue for the launch of TE-21. Gratitude also goes to Chartres for providing a platform for Elaine, Kii, Lucio and myself to speak today about TE-21, the reasoning behind its conception and its hopes for the future.

Elaine has very succinctly defined TE-21, established the reasons for the creation of the movement and firmly laid out the criteria for TE-21 artists. TE-21 is not an elitist movement. It is merely an avenue through which, as Elaine has clearly stated, to give established professional artists who are working in an expressive manner, the opportunity to exhibit together. That is all TE-21 purports to be. We are not in any way elevating our art above that of other practitioners.

TE-21 is not a movement born out of hot headed youthfulness. The four of us are far too long in the tooth for such actions. There are no Marinettis setting out to throw away the art of the past and change the world! The movement, rather, has been born from considered and thoughtful responses to the simple fact that there is a desire for those expressive artists who are working in the wider body of the mosaic world to have a distinctive voice.

It has taken time to reach where we are today. Just over three years ago, although it now seems a longer age away, Elaine, Robert Field, my wife, Anne, and I sat around an outdoor table of a Glasgow restaurant discussing the issue of the relatively small band of mosaic artists with an expressive bent and how best to present the work of such artists. At this Glasgow venue the title TE-21, Tessellated Expression for the 21st Century, was born and the name, written down for the very first time, was committed onto a white napkin.

Where do we go from here? We do wish for other artists to join with us. There is, however, no manifesto, no committee, nor is there a selection criteria for the inclusion of other artists and definitely no desire for interminable meetings.

What do we ask of the TE-21 artist? Do we ask for integrity or deeply felt emotional responses to a particular context, or an awareness of the development of modern art, or a long involvement in art, or that the artist holds true to their art; or do we ask for all of these things. There is no clear answer and perhaps there never will be. If we seem more than a little vague with regard to expansion of TE-21then this is possibly deliberate. Many of you here may have witnessed the rise and fall of the well-intended group or movement where its aims have been subsumed in a mire of bureaucracy.

We do plan our first full exhibition in Venice in the near future, and perhaps after that – and following any reaction to the show – we can think about next steps. In the meantime, we welcome comments, suggestions and any questions that you may have. Thank you.

Toyoharu Kii, Japan

Kii is one of Japan’s leading mosaic artists. He has had a long experience in producing mosaic murals.

He states:

‘The main theme of mosaic is to think of it as a language of expression. This must be the theme for all TE-21 artists.

Similar, perhaps, to most other artists of mosaic, I consider the main feature of mosaics to be the use of tesserae. The size, height and the form of tesserae, coupled with the width of grout line, are the elements that, for me, define the features of mosaic art. These features have the greatest visual impact when only one colour of material is used. This is the very strict, but personal regime I have been working under for more than ten years. Recently, however, I have been extending my exploration of mosaic by introducing more colours. I have experimented this way by making “tableaux” [portable pieces]. This recent work will be reflected in future mosaic murals of mine

Unfortunately, mosaic murals have gone out of fashion in Japan. It would appear that architects no longer wish to introduce mosaic into their architecture. However, I do not think that the role of mosaic in architecture is finished yet….’

Announce the 5th International Competition:

A): on the project of a mosaic to be set up in a Park or indoor.
This project is opened to all mosaic students from Art Academies, high school specializing in art subjects, Art Institutes and public or private Schools of Art.

B): for the knowledge and study of contemporary mosaic, addressed to all students of Contemporary Art and to all university students who have passed a History of Contemporary Art examination with reference to contemporary mosaic and its situation, and also to students who will be preparing a dissertation on artistic expression and/or who wish to develop a deeper understanding on this issue.

C): on the knowledge of old and contemporary mosaic,
addressed to secondary school students who have had the opportunity of learning about mosaic during their studies and want to develop this further.

D): on the realization of a mosaic with free topic and measures, addressed to young mosaic students under 30 years and older than 18 years on June 30, 2009.

Announce of the 5th International Exhibition for Students:
March 31 /May 10 2009 – Chiostro degli Agostiniani – Museo Civico di Bracciano
Inauguration: on Tuesday, March 31 at 11 a.m.
(tel.:+39-0699805106 – Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. 10/13 a.m. – Sat. Sun. 10 a.m./06 p.m.)

The Association Mosaico Oggi and its collaborators
Proclaim A Study Seminar
(with credits)

Regulations

1) All projects, proposals, ideas, and brief dissertations as well as the mosaics must be sent , with self addressed packaging and postage, not later than Friday ,March 20th 2009 to the following address:

Concorso “Mosaico Oggi”
Chiostro degli Agostiniani – Museo Civico – via Umberto 1° – 00062 Bracciano (Rome – Italy)

2) All the Mosaic works are sent at their own risk and paid for by the participants, and collected at the end of the Meeting on Saturday May 10th 2009 or not later than May 15th 2009 (or at a date arranged with the organization).

3) All the works not collected in time will not be returned and they will become property of the Association ” Mosaico Oggi” and could be used by it, at its unobjectionable judgment, for future art exhibitions in Italy or abroad and/or for a future Contemporary Mosaic Museum.

4) The works of this announcement, which arrive as paper works or DVDs will not be returned.

Awards:

“Mosaico Oggi” Award Plate, offered by “Mosaico Oggi” to the winners of every class.

Anton Panov Award, offered by “National Institution Culture Center 46th Fine Arts Colony, Strumica-Macedonia”.
This prestigious international award exists for 46 years; every year it gathers between 15 and 25 winners from every country in the world and consists of a three week workshop in Strumica (Macedonia) from 1st to 20th August 2009.
During their stay in Strumica the winners will accomplish mosaic works that will be exhibited together with the works of other participants at the Macedonian Symposium that will take place in September to mark their National Liberation celebrations.

“Orsoni – Bracchiano” Awards – for 2 mosaic students over 18 years of age called “Orsoni Award”:
it will consist of one week workshop in Bracciano (March 31st – April 7th 2009). During this period two winners will be attending the Congress, visiting the Exibition and experimenting a full immersion in the “Mosaico Veneziano”by using the vitreous tesserae of the factory “Orsoni” of Venice, while tutored by a supervisor of “Mosaico Oggi”.

“Orsoni – Nardo” Award – a further prize for mosaic students over 18 years of age “Orsoni Award”:
it will consist of a stay of one week in Nardo (LE) seat of the “Museo del Mosaico Contemporaneo” (it shall be inaugurated on December 28th in the Acquaviva Castle) and seat of a State School of Fine Arts. During this period two winners shall do a full immersion using the vitreous tesserae of Orsoni Factory of Venice.

“La Sapienza-Valle Giulia” Award:
Addressed to students of Contemporary Art and to students in Project and environment Administration or Architecture, winners of section B of the international competition.
It consists of a stay of one day (and one night) for a visit to art works of contemporary mosaics in one Italian city.

Further awards will be assigned, by eventual sponsors, before the dead-line: March 20th 2009.

The Seminar

This will take place in the Conference Hall of the Archivio Storico of Bracciano.

The prize-giving ceremony for the winning projects and works chosen by the Scientific Committee will take place at the end of the meeting

The primary aim of the Contest, now in its fourth edition, is to stimulate a new interest in Contemporary Mosaic and to encourage creativity among younger people.

For the realization of this project, the Scientific Committee will be formed by:

Organization: Simona Nardelli – Cooperative “Le Muse” info@lrmuse.it, tel/fax: +39 06 99805106
Press and info support: “Mosaico Oggi” (Roma) +39 687361558

“Mosaic Today” Cultural Association of art and design
Address of the registered office: Via San Girolamo Emiliani, 15, 00152 ROMA
Ph.: 0686908269 – Ph/fax: 069985236 – ph.: 3687361558; www.mosaicooggi.it;fernandatollemeto@quipo.it

The Grand Prize Winner of the Orsoni Prize will receive Euro 1,000; a round trip ticket to Venice, Italy to attend a one week Orsoni Master in Mosaic course between Oct 2009 – October 2010; and six nights at Domus Orsoni, the bed & breakfast located at the Orsoni foundry in Venice. In addition one Honorable Mention and three Finalists will be awarded a total of six kilos of Orsoni 24k gold mosaic.

“It has been fascinating to see the international mosaic community flourish with unimaginable vitality and energy”, contends Lucio Orsoni. “It has been my dream to acknowledge the work that is being done with this significant prize that has become part of the Orsoni legacy”.

Artists may apply in two categories, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional through Juried Art Services (www.juriedartservices.com) starting January 12, 2009. The application deadline is June 12, 2009. The winners will be announced, September 9, 2009. For further information, please contact JoAnn Locktov,joannlo@orsoni.com, telephone: #415.383.1399 in the US, or www.orsoni.com.

Master in Mosaic classes are taught at the Orsoni foundry in Venice, Italy. They are limited in size to six students, so that everyone learns at their own pace. Students have access to the entire library of 2,000 colors of Orsoni smalti and numerous shades of 24k gold mosaic. The class involves instruction in mosaic technique and application as well as field trips to San Marco and the island of Torcello. Two special thematic classes are currently taught in Portraiture and Micro-mosaic. For more information visit: www.orsoni.com or write master@orsoni.com.

It seems that art exhausted itself. The human eye is looking for something new. Wants to blaze up in admiration, but in our dynamical world everything is already known. Fortunately, nature is generous; in a moment of despair it presents us the joy of contemplation of unbelievable beauty we’re craving for so much. XXI century promises to be the century of the New Renaissance and it’s reborning again in Italy. Dusciana Bravura’s mosaics are arousing shock we want to experience. Her Venetian splendour is amazing and attracting, her imagination is paradoxical. She’s worthy of her Great father indeed.

Dusciana Bravura’s study is characterized by the use of the antique mosaic technique, that still embraces enormous expressive potentialities. Her works, in elegant frames depicting fantastic animals, do not need too much separation or precise conformist borders, her creativity originates in the mind and emotion until it finds its own way: the rhythm of mosaic, with all its rites, is an ideal opportunity to cultivate the mind.