Mikayel Ohanjanyan is this year’s winner of the Premio Fondazione Henraux-Award with his work „Materialità dell’invisibile” (materiality on the invisible). The prize is bestowed biannually for marble sculptures complemented by the event „Volarearte“ (fly art), during which e.g. the Pisa Airport is embellished with works of art.
The Fondazione Henraux based in Querceta in close proximity to Carrara is the only organization world-wide which awards its prize exclusively for works in marble.
This year’s competition saw entries by 68 promising artists, four of which made it to the finals. Finals entails realizing the sculpture on site at Henraux’ shop using the company’s marble according to the draft submitted.
Mikayel Ohanjanyan bound his marble block with steel ropes metaphorically reproducing the traditional method of transporting stone blocks on sledges to the valley below – which often resulted in serious injury.
Francesqua Pasquali came in second with her work „Frappa“ (frappe), a modern form of bas-relief.
Her work, as that of other artists, demonstrates that artists and craftsmen still have their place: programming a computer numerical control for producing the sculpture would be more costly than carrying out the work by hand. Provided, that is, that the machine would even be able to reproduce the work with the same artistic precision.
The third prize was shared by two sculptors: once to Massimiliano Pelletti for „Back to Basic“, a classical head somewhat weathered…
… and Filippo Ciavoli for „Corallo“ (coral) – a shape reminiscent of crustaceans or entwined hands.
Interpretations by Fondazione Henraux together with the artists’ biographies and additional information are compiled in a pdf in English language and can be downloaded.
Photos: Fondazione Henraux
(21.09.2014, USA: 09.21.2014)
