Mediterranean Artists Group and
I t s F i r s t E x h i b i t i o n “TRAVELLERS OF C O L O R”
Mediterranean Artists Group was born from sharing a passion and a love; the Meditterranean and its past, today, its sea, sky, sun and all together its cultures, arts and colors...
Mediterranean artists community is an international initiative and aims to create and realize international art projects with artistic and cultural concepts. It is an artist platform which bases on international extensive participation and it is open to whole world of arts and cultures. The main principle of the group is to add new visions into the world art and peace, to be one of the steps in achieving international artist unity and collaboration. The group will be realizing its first art activity in Antalya where is the touristic metropol of Turkey’s Mediterranean Coasts. The exhibition in titled “Travellers of Color” brings twelve artists together who are the members of MAG, participating in painting,photography and digital art branches.Participating Artists of the exhibition titled “Travellers of Colors”: Noel Fignier / France-Portugal, Neco Beth / Chile-Spain, Sevgi Ürüm / Turkey, Leora Benkel / Israel, ILham Badreddine Mahfouz / Syria-USA, Sarantis Gagas / Greece, Essam Abu Awad /Jordan, Roberta Vivoli /Italy, Apostolos Kotoulas / Greece, Oliver Stahmann /Germany, Georgia Grigoriadou / Greece, Evrensel Ürüm / Turkey.
Lovers of art and Mediterranean will be able to see the exhibition between 1st-15th of November 2008 at the Art Gallery of Antalya Museum in Turkey. With Love&Peace..
Sevgi URUM Founder Artist of MAGMediterranean Artists Group
FROM THE PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
NOEL FIGNIER Whatever our differences are, we express ourselves within the same transparency as its waters, blue as azure, which reflect our spirit through out the Ages. With respect and modesty to Mediterranean I shall come to exhibit at Antalya's Archaeological sanctuary.
NECO BETH The constantly innovative and audacious techniques may vary, but the base of common affinities remains. I call them as“confluences”. It is a good idea and a pleasure for me to exhibit together with the “Mediterranean Artist Group”. Thanks for inviting me, with my best wishes...
SEVGI URUM “Travellers of Color”, run after the passion towards new forms in the harvest of the colors, from one city and country to another... just like the Arganouts of ancient times, they overcome all difficulties and sail to all the beauties... They are workers of colors, reflecting from the “Mediterranean Sun”...
LEORA BENKEL My hope is that we will success to let differences to live in peace, to love and to create new life together with continuation.Its a beginning of a beautiful tradition and will continue in all the countries of the MAG participating artists.
ILHAM BADREDDINE MAHFOUZ The first love affair between the sea and the people goes back to millions of years.Mediterranean Sea is very special, as it brings east and west together.
ESSAM ABU AWAD In my opinion this group will represent the pluralism of art, culture and ideas as the basic point of Mediterraneanism. It will form an intellectual artistic bridge in a world that became a village. A bridge of peace and love.
SARANTIS GAGAS "Mediterranean"; a sea of cultures...I wish and expect that the people in this area will still be capable to produce culture...
ROBERTA VIVOLI Documentation came to symbolise the determination to carry on in photography the sense of Mediterranean Art.
APOSTOLOS KOTOULAS I think this exhibition is very special for keeping and developing multi-culture crossroads among Mediterranean People. Thank you for your invitation.
OLIVER STAHMANN I have always been fascinated about the colours of the Mediterranean-Room. In the towns, on the beaches, on the mountains... The harbours and the forests, the faces, the clothes, the skies and fields, houses and walls...These are the points where I look for and find my photos.
GEORGIA GRIGORIADOU Sharing the same sea, we also share the same ideas and culture. The water always finds its way to connect people around the world., That is what the Mediterranean sea had been doing through centuries and it continues to connect us by creating a new artists universe.
EVRENSEL URUM Traveller blends the colors from nature and urban-life with places where they become nomadic. Neo-nomads do use technology to create real communications. Color itself is a nomad with its immanence existance, waits for its “naughty“ to play with. “Travellers of Color” are naughty-nomads of Mediterranean-Lake.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
NOEL FIGNIER , born in 1948 in Paris and recently lives in Lisbon. He studied indoor architecture, art history, literature at Vincennes University in Paris. The artist opened his earliest art exhibitions in Paris and later in many countries of the world. “The important point is to find a balance between irrational - rational in a subjective discourse where ‘representative’ becomes subliminal whatever the means used are, in the respect of a moral, an ethic in this mathematic balance of a present or future aesthetic.” Noel Fignier.
NECO BETH, born in 1951 in Chile, opened his first solo exhibition in Villa Alemana-Chile in 1968, studied ethnology and anthropology in Paris. The artist had many art exhibitions in many countries of the world and has gained many awards.He lives in Palma De Mallorca. “Neco understands the artistic work as a form of knowledge, fenomenológic analysis to apprehend reality, that is to say, a transit between the objectivity of matter and the subjectivity of the experience”. John Berger, Art-Critic- Author.
SEVGI URUM, born in Ankara in 1953,studied painting and graphic arts at Gazi University in Ankara, had many art exhibitions in Turkey and abroad since 1974. As initiative artist, she has organized international art projects: “Mediterranean Artists Group” and “Artists for Peace International Art Actions”. Her articles are published in art magazines.She lives in İstanbul.“In her life to make painting is important as breathing. The sincerity and automathy in her works are the main factors describing her as a painter.” Özay Erkılıç, Art Critic.
LEORA BENKEL was born in Bazra/Israel. She studied graphic arts and participated in some workshops with great painters. The artist paints for over 40 years and had many exhibitions.“She constructs in her paintings a new fantastic reality at which we find ourselves gazing, while trying to peel its intricate surface and reach the secret of its essence. Leora's works consists of a trail of longing and memories, yearnings, dreams, joys and daily scenes.” Orit Lotringer, Curator
ILHAM BADREDDINE MAHFOUZ was born in Damascus/Syria in 1956, lives in USA since 1972, had a bachelor degree in fine arts from Eastern Michigan University in ceramic, painting and minor on art history. The Artist had several awards, solo exhibitions and participated in many international group exhibitions. She enjoys teaching and creating art and says that:“Art is a universal language. I communicate visually through reach out for all people in peace and harmony.”
ESSAM ABU AWAD was born in Amman in 1958. He had the bachelor and master degree in graphic design at the Punjab University, preparation of an introduction to textile and fashion design course and textile printing techniques for Jerusalem Open University. He worked as former instructor of graphic design at the Faculty of Art and Design, of the Science University in Amman, between 1996-2006.The artist is recently PhD. research student at the Coventry University in United Kingdom.
SARANTIS GAGAS was born in Thessaloniki in 1966. He studied economics and completed master degree at Aristotle University. The artist lives and works in Athens and Thessaloniki. He attended to many art work-shops and participated in the art activities of "Thessaloniki 1997 Cultural Capital of Europe”. He is the founder member of the "Connecting/Art". In the issue of June 2005 of "The Artist's Magazine" in USA an article had been published on his art .
ROBERTA VIVOLI, born in Miami/USA in 1969, from Italian nationality, lives and works temporarely as photography and visual artist in Barcelona. The artist has been invited by the international universities to present and explain her art works and personal reflections on the photographic medium. Vivoli says:“What does it mean to take a documentaristic picture? Firstly, it is looking without filters, that is, without the help of any screen that in any way could sweeten or veil reality.”
APOSTOLOS KOTOULAS, born in 1970 in Thessaloniki, lives in Thessaloniki, studied in some artistic laboratories on drawing&painting by the Greek artists Nasos Halkidis and Giorgos Pallis. He participated in the project titled “Public Art Space” with his performance.“The Trees of Apostolos are the visual feast, presented us as rhythmical sections in his compositions by transfering light and color vibrations into his own subjective colors.” Sevgi Ürüm.
OLIVER STAHMANN, born in Hamburg in 1974, lives in Germany and Spain. He worked as a music and sport journalist all over the world, has published his poetries and fictions in German-Printmedia .The artist dedicated himself to photography since 2003.“Mother Nature made an incredible work on our trees, the big elements of our life, often have teamed up to create art with shadows, lights, reflections, fishes, garbage. I am trying to capture this with my camera.”
GEORGIA GRIGORIADOU, born in Kozani/Greece, in 1975. She attended glass courses in Thessaloniki in 1993, paper/puppet making in Athens in 1998 and worked at Hellios Printmaking Center in Thessaloniki in 2005. The artist is active in the academic and professional fields of design. She participates in academic conferences on the issue of graphic design and its relation with arts, technology and the challenges of teaching graphic design.
EVRENSEL URUM, born in Ankara in 1980, graduated from MSGSÜ Fine Arts Faculty, the branch of textile&fashion design. He works as a designer and visual artist in Istanbul, participates in national&international art events, exhibitions, being active in international art projects.“Evros designs his artworks in a special visual language by using Frigian, Ionian, Pamfilian figures on eachother in several layers. These figures and calligraphic elements are appearing as new meeting layers by convertions of modern aesthetics with psychedelic interactions.” Selçuk Duran. Art Historian Edited by Sevgi URUM
Translations: Dr. Ali Tamer URUM
Organization: Sevgi Urum
Evrensel Urum Comunication: Contact email: mediterraneanartists@gmail.com
Web-Site: http://mediterraneanartists.bogspot.com/
Telephone: +90 212 255 45 95
Mobile: +90 533 414 10 93
Click here for more details: http://www.artmesh.org/events/1531/event_invitations/038a711470d13158f16c5b6bc53d5ea7cd92bd53
