THE THEME OF THIS EDITION
Being an artist and being an entrepreneur are two choices that appear opposite. Yet it happens that these two worlds, which seem parallel, may converge, and instead of scrutinize each other with a more or less critical gaze they choose to share the same path towards a common cultural welfare.
For the artists, and also for the company, it means to share a challenge: both have to follow paths that are not their own. The first ones with an eye to the latter ones in mutual respect and with the courage of innovation. Innovative is a company promoting art events and that invests part of its assets for the culture. Innovative is the artist who lets himself be conquered by this proposal and launches the discovery of new materials with a creative spirit.
“The expressivity of aluminum” is the challenge of this edition, to discover the creative potential of the aluminum through research on its expressive, aesthetic and communicative qualities. It can be forged, molded, laminated to form a very thin sheet. Aluminum is visually intriguing, ductile, versatile, light and heavy at the same time and definitely a highly recyclable metal. It is the material of choice for artists wishing to participate in the COMEL Award.
THE JURY
GIORGIO AGNISOLA
Art critic and essayist
President of the Jury
Giorgio Agnisola has worked for a long time as a consultant of Modern and Contemporary Art in the framework of international agreements for cultural exchanges. Since 1983 he has been called on official missions by the French-speaking countries of Europe for studies and research on contemporary art. He also deals with the relationship between Literature, Art and Psychology. Since 1990, he has been contributing to the cultural pages of the daily newspaper “Avvenire” and, in particular, to the page ‘Arte’. He is a member of the International Association of Art Critics. He is a member of the Société Internationale of Psychopathologie de l’expression. He has promoted exhibitions of international importance, such as “Symbolism in Belgium” (1985), at the Royal Palace of Caserta, in collaboration with the Belgian Government; “Italy-Luxembourg, Confrontations” (2002), in collaboration with the Luxembourg Embassy in Italy; “Alberto Magnelli, opere 1915-1970”, Pinacoteca Civica di Gaeta. He is a consultant of the CEI for Contemporary Sacred Art. He teaches Sacred Art at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, where he is co-director of the School of Higher Education in Art and Theology. He has written many books and, as a curator, has participated in numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad. In qualità di critico e giornalista, ha scritto come corrispondente italiano per riviste internazionali di fotografia e arte, come “Aperture” (New York), “HotShoe” (Londra), “Eyemazing” (Amsterdam), “Muse” (Milano), “Around Photography” (Bologna), “FotoCult” (Roma). He received two international awards for his work as an art critic: Chevalier de l’Ordre de Leopold II in Belgium and Officier de l’Ordre de Mérite in Luxembourg. Bruno di Marcello dedicated a book to his activity, entitled “Giorgio Agnisola, dell’arte della critica“, (2000).
GREGORIO BOTTA
Artist
Born in Naples, lives and works in Rome. After the Academy of Fine Arts (set design course with Toti Scialoja) he began exhibiting in Rome at Galleria II Segno and the Volume Foundation, in Naples (Studio Trisorio), Bologna (Galleria G7 in Ginevra Grigolo), Verona (Galleria dello Scudo) and many other cities. His personal exhibitions were also held in public spaces, such as the ‘Magazzini del Sale’ in Piazza del Campo in Siena and the ‘Loggiato San Bartolomeo’ in Palermo. He has participated in two quadrennial and important collective exhibitions. Some of his works are in the collections of the Mart of Rovereto, the Musma of Matera, the ECB of Frankfurt, the Charterhouse of Padula and other public collections and foundations.
AGNÈS MARTIN
Director and founder of St. Stephen’s Cultural Center Foundation
Born in Naples, lives and works in Rome. After the Academy of Fine Arts (set design course with Toti Scialoja) he began exhibiting in Rome at Galleria II Segno and the Volume Foundation, in Naples (Studio Trisorio), Bologna (Galleria G7 in Ginevra Grigolo), Verona (Galleria dello Scudo) and many other cities. His personal exhibitions were also held in public spaces, such as the ‘Magazzini del Sale’ in Piazza del Campo in Siena and the ‘Loggiato San Bartolomeo’ in Palermo. He has participated in two quadrennial and important collective exhibitions. Some of his works are in the collections of the Mart of Rovereto, the Musma of Matera, the ECB of Frankfurt, the Charterhouse of Padula and other public collections and foundations.
MARIA GABRIELLA MAZZOLA
Manager of the aluminium sector
At the head of the Company CO.ME.L. with his brother Adriano and his sister Luisa, he combines technical and business preparation with organizational and coordination skills, bringing to the company new guidelines such as attention to communication, innovation and marketing. He has always supported, personally and with the company, activities in favour of the territory: art exhibitions, publications, visual arts reviews, short film festivals and animal protection. In December 2012, Maria Gabriella received, from the “Associazione Culturale Nuova Immagine Latina”, an award for entrepreneurial merit. He is president of the “Associazione Culturale VANNA MIGLIORIN” which promotes and disseminates to the public contemporary intellectual and artistic works, in all their forms and expressions. Among the various activities of the association the promotion of the COMEL Prize and the organization of monographic exhibitions dedicated to artists of international importance.
THE 13 FINALISTS
THE WINNERS
MINUTES OF THE JURY OF THE COMEL AWARD VANNA MIGLIORIN 2013
On Monday, March 25th, 2013, at 12 am, at the Spazio COMEL of Latina, via Neghelli, the jury met in order to decide the winner of the second edition (first edition by public announcement) of the COMEL Award Contemporary Art Vanna Migliorin. There were Giorgio Agnisola and Agnes Martin. Gregorio Botta was absent, however he privately sent his preferences.
After a peaceful confrontation of opinions and a careful “rereading” of the works, taking into account the views expressed by Gregorio Botta, the jury decided to appoint the COMEL Award Vanna Migliorin 2013 to the English artist Tony Charles for the painting “Fettled Sign“, with the following motivation:
“The work is characterized by a fine balance between the expression of signs and material suggestion, starting from an ordinary object of the industrial signage, on which the artist has intervened with gestural freedom and informal suggestion, stressing the lightness and the properties of aluminum, as in a metaphorical process of symbolic and spiritual regeneration.”
Emphasizing the high level of the selected works, the jury considered it appropriate to also assign four special mentions to other works, which resulted particularly interesting.
Precisely the works of:
“Mercato“ (2013), by Anna Carusi, “Via Lattea” by Fabrizio Sanna, “Fists” by Robert Kunec and “Resti di racconti ” by Venanzio Manciocchi.
From sx, Tony Charles, Fabrizio Sanna, Venanzio Manciocchi e Anna Carusi
The Audience Award goes ex aequo to the works Via Lattea” by Fabrizio Sanna and Cielo e Terra. Il Pensiero Umano by Rossana Cesaretti.
Fabrizio Sanna and Rossana Cesaretti receive the Audience Award
PHOTO GALLERY
The setting of the Exhibition
Vernissage, march 9th, 2013
Award Cerimony of the Winner, april 6th, 2013
Award Cerimony of the Winner of the Audience Award, april 13th, 2013
