The Migration Project, an international exhibition bringing together 10 artists from Seattle and Italy, will open in Perugia Sept. 2 through Oct. 9. Curated by Antonio Carlo Ponti, the exhibit can be seen at the Civic Museum, located in the Palazzo della Penna in the heart of the city.
The Migration Project is a juried-art show that includes 10 artists who created works based on their interpretation of the concept of migration. The range of artists selected and the media they use are as diverse as their interpretations of the thought-provoking theme.
Five artists were selected to represent Seattle. They are: Humaira Abid, Iole Alessandrini, Mary Coss, Paul Goldstein, and Malayka Gormally. The five artists from Italy are: Paolo Lattaioli, Sandford & Gosti, Tonina Cecchetti, Vilma Lok and Kim Hee Jin. Here is a brief look at some of the artists who make up this talented group.
Iole Alessandrini is fascinated by the interplay between light and space. Born in Abruzzo, she moved to Rome when she was two. In 1994, she moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington and currently resides there. Alessandrini is known for her complex site-specific installations which use controlled environments to explore the relationship of light to space. She sometimes adds video, music or computerized sound to create an intense personal experience that is unique yet fleeting. Her most recent work is a meditative gathering space called “The Raven and The Light,” commissioned by the Climate Pledge Arena for its grand opening last October. She also created the “Luminous Forest” for the City of Edmonds, Wash., which used solar LED lights embedded in a roadway to create a visible corridor at night.
Seattle sculptor Paul Goldstein has a strong interest in nature as well as ancient and contemporary cultures from around the world. At the age of 60, he moved to Bangkok, Thailand, for a year. There, he began working at a brass foundry known for making Buddhas and temple bells in the traditional way. Goldstein works in a variety of media, including wood, aluminum, plastic and composite materials. If he works in clay, he’ll first make the mold and then cast it in either bronze or stainless steel. “I have no interest in developing a uniform body of work,” he said. “I like to explore new ideas, methods and materials. My sculptures usually have a story behind them. They emerge from what I have seen or read about or experienced.”
Among the group representing Perugia is Tonina Cecchetti, a sculptor who, like Goldstein, uses a variety of media for her creations, from silver and iron to majolica. Cecchetti likes to explore subject matter that makes audiences stop and think, even if they are uncomfortable with the topic. She has shown her work at exhibits in both Italy and abroad. In 2018, she was part of a group of six artists in a show called “Murmures,” held at the Museo delle Mura Aureliane in Rome. In 2016, she was featured in a solo show called Richezza e Povertà (Wealth and Poverty) in Massa Martana, Perugia.
Also representing Italy for the Migration Project is artist Vilma Lok. Born in the Netherlands, Lok currently resides in Perugia. In her twenties, she received an art scholarship from the Italian government and moved to Italy. She began teaching intaglio and experimental printmaking at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Perugia. In 1997-1998, she participated in the “Grand Renaissance” project in Grand Rapids, Michigan (also a sister city with Perugia), was an artist in residence and taught printmaking at Kendall College of Art & Design. Much of her work uses paper as part of the composition, whether it is printmaking, artist books or portraiture. She has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions in Rome, Paris, Germany, Foligno, Spello and Shanghai as well as in the US.
Sponsoring organizations for the Migration Project are the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association and its cohort, the Perugia-Seattle Sister City Association, City of Perugia, and the Palazzo della Penna Museum.
An Italian delegation arrives in Seattle
The Migration Project is just one of the many cultural and educational projects undertaken by the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association. In mid- May, the sister city organization hosted a delegation from Perugia. The group visited the University of Washington, toured several museums and attractions, and was feted at an event held at the new Casa Italiana, Seattle’s Italian cultural center.
Guests included Professor Valerio De Cesaris, rector, and Valentina Seri, director, International Relations, both with the Università per Stranieri (University for Foreigners) in Perugia. Accompanying them was Giorgio Moretti, artistic director of L’Antica Deruta, the ceramics studio that created the decorative tiles in Seattle’s Piazza Perugia.
The meetings in Seattle provided a sneak peek at several exciting study opportunities to be held this fall in Perugia that will merge Italian language classes with instruction in, and exposure to, art and nature or Umbrian food and wine. For four weeks, students will be headquartered in either Perugia or nearby Norcia where they will be immersed in language classes from Monday through Thursday. The weekends will be spent in immersive guided visits to regional art galleries, historic sites and local food producers in olive oil, chocolate, truffles and lentils, among other products.
To learn more about the Migration Project: https://seattle-perugia.org/migration-project/
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