The I Santi di Diso Graphic Engraving Award was born from the will of I Santi di Diso in collaboration with the Cubiarte Laboratories of Andrea De Simeis, to offer an opportunity for cultural promotion of the municipal area of Diso, in the province of Lecce, and of the panorama national and international Original Graphics ; The competition is organized by the Social and Cultural Association I Santi di Diso, sponsored by the Municipality of Diso, the Lecce Academy of Fine Arts and twinned with the Acqui Terme Biennial International Engraving Prize.
The Prize benefits from the critical apparatus of an internationally qualified jury and constitutes a great opportunity for artists: it awards the winner the prestigious Fan printed in etching by the famous De Sica Prize, Maestro Guido Strazza, on hand-laid paper by Maestro Andrea De Simeis, as the distinctive title of the work; which will be delivered in the inaugural ceremony, Saturday 17 March 2018 at 5.00 pm, in the evocative 17th century church. of San Francesco a Diso, by the guest of honor Philippe Daverio;
It inserts the works of the participating artists into the permanent collection of the Municipality of Diso (public archive which can be used for museum containers and international foundations, organized exhibitions and events consistent with the tradition of original graphics).
The first edition will be dedicated to the theme of Bread and the event will be associated with the sacred and pagan repertoire of the liturgical feast of Saint Joseph.
Out of devotion, in the month of March, in many municipalities of Salento, families set exceptional tables in their homes according to very specific rules, displaying abundant dishes surrounded by fragrant flowers and bread: large and beautiful wheels of bread, golden and blessed, finely decorated with early Christian, propitiatory and fertility symbols.
For grace received or requested, visitors are welcomed to take this holy bread and, in the case of the poorest families, to participate in the banquet. The meaning of the ritual is in placing sacred value on sharing. All guests experience this feeling in a circle at Giuseppe's Table.
With the same generous spirit, the Association of the Saints of Diso offers artists from all over the world sheets of bread, wheat straw and cotton paper laid by hand with 14th century techniques. of the master paper maker Andrea De Simeis, excellent for any original graphics technique, on which the latter will print the work intended for the exhibition and will compete for the Prize.
The Selection Commission, made up of highly prestigious personalities in the field of visual arts, will meet on Thursday 15 February 2018 to nominate twenty-five finalist works admitted to the International Engraving Prize Exhibition. Among these, the popular jury will decide the winner.
The winning work and the finalists will be exhibited for fourteen days, from 17 to 30 March, in the Church of San Francesco and in the former convent of the 17th century Capuchin Friars. in Diso.
Program for Saturday 17 March '18
5.00 pm, in the suggestive 17th century church. titled in San Francesco a Diso, Hervè Cavallera will inaugurate the exhibition of twenty-five selected artists and will award the prize to the winner. Speakers will include the Mayor of the Municipality of Diso, Dr. Antonella Carrozzo; Master Glaucus Lendaro Camiless; Dr. Giuseppe Avignolo for the Acqui Terme International Biennial; Pierangelo Marco Maffeis for the Social and Cultural Association.
Followed by refreshments with traditional local wines and products.
6.30 pm, in the Church of Santi Filippo e Giacomo rebuilt in 1758, the Fancy Bred ensemble (Laura Secco, Viola da Gamba and Recorder; Sara Bagnati, Violin; Francesca Benetti, Theorbo and Lute; Gilberto Scordari, Organ and Harpsichord) will perform a selection of music from the English Renaissance and Baroque repertoire and the reading of some Shakespearean texts and contemporary English authors linked to the theme of bread and the sacred value of conviviality.
The Engraving Exhibition will be open to visitors from 17 to 30 March 2018 from 5pm to 9pm.
Free admission.