Ceramic and painting art symposium “Nature – muse of inspiration”

When Annogallery was established in 2008, it defined among its goals to attract more domestic and foreign artists to the region by offering them art residence programmes and to engage the local community by organizing cultural events and creative workshops. These tasks were well accomplished in 10-22 of June 2018 when the pleasant setting of Annogallery’s ceramic studio in the village of Hôrka hosted eight outstanding artists from Slovakia, Serbia, Russia and Poland during the ceramic and painting art symposium “Nature – muse of inspiration”.

During the symposium, the artists were working under the guidance of one of the most talented ceramists in Slovakia, Peter Smik, and were able to create either decorative or utility or chamber or monumental art works, strongly inspired by nature and its elements. The resulting pieces of art reflect different approaches of the authors and the diversity of artistic expression, techniques and possibilities, sometimes even extending into other disciplines such as textile and architecture. While paintings are expressive in the use of colour, ceramic sculptures are poignant in their variety of shapes and harmony of pigments, glazes and molten glass.

Integral part of the symposium was the opportunity for participating artists to experience the local culture, to get to know the surroundings of the village and to visit several museums and heritage sites like St Martin‘s Cathedral in Spišská Kapitula, the Spiš Castle and the historic town of Levoča. Local people and children were also involved in the symposium’s activities. They could exercise their creativity and artistic feeling during the side events of the symposium in ceramic workshops and in meetings with artists.

Project partners were also welcomed to the symposium, and very interesting seminar and master-class were organised for them.

Posted by: Svetlana Belova, July 4, 2018