Hakob Gyurdjian First International Shoushi Symposium in Naregatsi Art Institute Shoushi Center

Hakob Gyurdjian First International Shoushi Symposium at Naregatsi Art Institute Shoushi Center
On July 15-29, 2011, the Shoushi Center of Naregatsi Art Institute became the enchanting setting where the First Hakob Gyurdjian International Sculpture Symposium of Shushi kick-started.
The unique international gathering was the first art event of its kind to take place in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh.
The idea of launching an international Symposium belongs to sculptor Vighen Avetis, and was an outcome of collective effort by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, Vighen Avetis himself, and the Naregatsi Art Institute.
Being an annual event, the Symposium is entitled to become a platform of cooperation, cultural and professional exchange, and an arena of artistic inspiration for the community of sculptors worldwide. The event, by the same token, also seeks to promote Artsakh’s international reputation by means of art, contribute to the architectural revival and progress of the war-torn city of Shushi, and so also restore the city’s exhausted fame and status as a city of arts.
This year’s impressive list of participants featured 22 renowned professors, sculptors and painters from around Italy.
In line with the event’s overly packed agenda of a series of lectures, master classes, exhibitions and film screenings, the axis of the program was the unique Sculpture Laboratory where each one of the participating 15 sculptors created one piece of individual artwork from the Shushi limestone. The readymade sculptures are now erected around the city as a gift from the artists.
“15 sculptures each year, and in the course of some 10 years, a well nigh 150 sculptures will decorate the city and turn it into a real museum in the open sky,” during the days of the Symposium maestro Vighen Avetis characterized the event illustratively.
The title sponsors of the Hakob Gyurdjian International Sculpture Symposium were the Armenian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Yerevan, the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Municipality of Shushi.
The event took place under the patronage and active involvement of the Naregatsi Are Institute
Concept:
Sculptor Vighen Avetis

Initiators:
RA Ministry of Culture
Naregatsi Art Institute
Sculptor Vighen Avetis /Italy/
Art Critic Francesco Gallo /Italy/

Sponsors:
RA Ministry of Culture
Yerevan Municipality
Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Shushi Municipality

Participants:
Valter Corneka / Sculptor Freelancer
Luca Calo / Sculptor Freelancer
Giuseppe Antonio De Tursi / Sculptor Freelancer
Giuseppe Giovanni Del Debbio / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Antonella Castelli / Sculptor Freelancer
Francesco Roviello / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Roberto Giovannelli / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Antonino Rizzo / Sculptor Freelancer
Jorge Romeo / Sculptor Freelancer
Emiliano Barattini / Sculptor Freelancer
Francesco Gallo / Art critic, Rome Academy of Fine Arts
Stefania Palumbo / Sculptor Freelancer
Luciano Preti / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Manuela Traini / Sculptor Freelancer
Cerneka Valter / Sculptor Freelancer
Roberto Quagli / Photographer, Studio Quagli, Florence
Lapo Quagli / Photographer, Studio Quagli, Florence
Stephano Bizzarri / Cameraman, Studio Quagli, Florence
Francesco Manca / Cameraman, Studio Quagli, Florence

Guests:
Geraldo Lo Russo / President, Rome Academy of Fine Arts
Carolina Giovannelli / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Maddalena Giovannelli / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Luisa Moroni / Professor, Florence Academy of Fine Arts

Project Author: Vighen Avetis