Kish Island is host to one of the most important artistic events held on the island so far from February 8 to March 1, in which 5 Iranians and 12 foreign artists are competing to construct 17 big travertine sculptures.
Artists from 12 countries are participating in the first edition of the Kish International Sculpture Symposium. Some of the artists have attended other symposiums in Tehran earlier.
To provide a quiet and dynamic work environment, “all artists are provided with safety tools and necessary facilities at the workplace,” said symposium director Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi.
Pointing to the satisfactory progress of the contest, he said “each sculpture is taking form and all will be completed and displayed prior to March 1,” Honaronline reported.
Exciting Experience
Ronald Erich Mayer is a German artist who says the symposium is an exciting experience because it is held at the beachside. “As I took part in the fourth symposium in Tehran two years ago, I know my current co-workers who make me feel at home,” he added.
His sculpture is titled ‘Out of the Water’. “This is my first time on Kish Island which I had no knowledge about, so when I heard about it, I looked up Google and got an idea about the beautiful location, which inspired me to design a sculpture showing a mix of water and sea,” he said. “In my opinion, sea is the origin of all life and creatures.”
Pointing to the well-organized symposiums in Iran, he said: “I have taken part in 49 sculpture symposiums around the globe where I had to carry lots of tools and equipment; but in Iran, artists are equipped with all the necessary tools and facilities, creating a quiet work environment for them.”
Another foreign artist is Italian sculptor Alessio Ranaldi who visited Tehran just a few months back. His work is titled “Between Us.” The volume comprises three parts: two large side sections and one small middle one. It is made of flexible materials in abstract style like his previous works. “I have tried to show contrasts and disparities between different sizes in this sculpture,” the artist explained.
Interaction
The Italian artist believes that creating a sculpture for a symposium is a different experience than sculpting outside a convention. “I am myself in my personal atelier (workshop) but interaction with others in a symposium matters to me. As I converse with other artists, I learn more, and can gain experience though collaboration,” he noted.
Mario Lopes, the Portuguese artist arrived in Tehran a week prior to the symposium. “I have Iranian friends I wanted to catch up with in Tehran, although I like the atmosphere in Kish Island and its sunny weather,” he said, adding that the island “is doing well for its first time as host to an art symposium, in spite of some coordination problems.”
The symposium seeks to promote not only art, but discourse between artists and facilitate sharing of knowledge and experience. It enjoys “unique social aspects” including bringing artists together from all over the world and “making life colorful as well as edifying among people with so many different personalities.”
Lopes said his work is titled ‘Vertical Vista’. “I thought of it during my stay in Japan. The initial idea came to me from Japanese gardens and expanded with my personal style.”
He said his work of art is “an interface between representation and abstract art where minimalistic tendencies can be spotted, and the offered concepts are minimized.”
Islamic Art
Safoura Fadaei, an Iranian artist participating in the symposium said: “All sculptures measure 3 meters by 1.5 meters in dimension and up to 1 meter in height. Being abstract, my design is three gradient rectangular cubes placed side by side creating an architectural structure,” she added.
Hedayat Sahraei is another Iranian artist who describes his work as an abstract art piece using Islamic architecture details shown “in a coherent form of several slabs.” The sculpture is named ‘Sunrise’ as it represents “the concept of sunrise and tangible movements.”
Other highlights of the exhibition are: display of 42 sculptures, itinerary schedules for artists to visit Kish attractions, and a daily meeting in which each artist describes his\her artistic style and experiences to other artists, which have been welcomed by both residents and tourists with enthusiasm.
