Four artists from Montenegro, Albania, Region Molise and Region Puglia Italy participated in the two-week long online laboratories, starting from June 30th until August 12th. The laboratories, in view of the current pandemic situation were held online and were facilitated by Artan Shabani.
The four artists were selected by respective countries: Ervin Dauti from Albania, Snezana Bulatovic from Montenegro, Raffaele Vitto & Antonio Finelli from Italy. In this two-week program the artists were introduced to the main venues and museum sites of Albania and were able to explore the online-digital formats of these art platforms. Also, several PDF catalogs, images and articles were also used as a reference for the discussion. The catalogs included works mainly by Albanian artists of the period before and after the 90s, contemporary artists and artists from the historical period of the twentieth century as well. The artworks of contemporary artists have been documented in various editions of ‘Onufri’.
The relationship among the artists in this laboratory, their creative works and discussion, were a great opportunity and experience adapted to the situation created by the global pandemic. One of the main goals of the laboratories was to encourage professional growth and engage the artists in processes and discussions to stimulate creativity and promote Art. The four contemporary artists successfully developed and presented their ideas for their individual artworks.
In Snezana Bulatovic’s work – “Utopia Concept”, the duality system of Utopia is represented through wall art installation, the motives are architecture and ambient of the Mediterranean places, connection between past and present, the role and impact of individuals and society, how one reflects others. Black and white illustration was chosen to represent atmosphere of the utopian paradigm, where the spirit of the place is intrinsically connected with the people in it. As people move through the space in the gallery, they will notice how the image in mirrors is never the same, and in that movement, the duality of art stillness and audience reaction is shown.
Antonio Finelli work –“Body” comes as a long time pursue and study of the human face and body. The artist is fascinated by the skin, the outermost layer of our body, the part that receives all the sensations, emotions and information from the surrounding environment.
The author believes the skin describes our experience and through it, it is possible to know the life of each individual, as a "the map of life’ - the life of individuals is revealed. For realizing the work, the artist often uses natural supports made by hand by artisans who through their work transmit all the emotions and their knowledge in the products they make. Therefore, for the particular piece produced for the project he chose to use a paper entirely handmade by a historic Italian paper mill as a support for the drawing. Wrinkled paper with its different textures becomes the “skin” of the drawing.
For his work, “The dance”, artist Ervin Dauti has been inspired by the Albanian traditional dance and folk costumes. The painting is a representation of an unfamiliar situation. The interactive movement shows the independence of spirit to explore new roles and ideas. The physical power is emphasized by the use of red color on the background. The red color also symbolizes strength and vitality. The contrast between the elements and the atmosphere on the painting represents the differences between the new and old perspectives.
Raffaelle Vitto’s work is represented through the restitution in gold of three portions of the rain gauge, an instrument with which the amount of rain fallen to ground is measured. In this case, each piece (one per quarter) is the sum of the average measurement of rainwater of each single day relating to the year 2019, precisely in the land the artist worked since early childhood. “Quando piove zappa Cristo" is an Italian saying that explains how rain really is a wealth, almost like poured gold that descends from heaven, which grants the tireless farmer, at the moment of descent, a day of rest. When it rains the waters are renewed, the reserves of the planet are enriched, everything and everyone can finally quench their thirst.
The laboratories come in view of Monet project, the core of which is the creation of a network model among museums in Albania, Montenegro, Apulia and Molise, by following a common methodology and providing new services and tools. The aim of the project is the promotion of natural and cultural heritage, through the valorisation of museums, in terms of management and services. Enabling museums to share a new cross border dimension of management will improve the tourist and cultural offer and, consequently, visitors’ flows. This will lead to tourist growth and sustainable and economic development.
https://monet.italy-albania-montenegro.eu/monet-online-laboratories-presentation-of-artists-works
