Mosaic art will take centre stage in Prague in a cycle of events on Feb. 12 that will be hosted by Italian Institute of Culture (IIC). The event will open with the conference “MosaiCONtempo – from the mosaics of Ravenna to the present day”, focusing on the history and restoration of mosaics, which will be discussed by Italian, German, Spanish, Polish and Czech specialists. The event has been organised by the Art & Craft Mozaika association and the Institute under the patronage of the Italian and the German Embassy in Prague and the Czech Academy of Fine Arts. Speakers will include experts from the “Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano” (“Fabric of Saint Peter”), the Special Superintendency for the Colosseum, the National Museum of Rome and the archaeological area of Rome, the “Opificio delle Pietre Dure” (Workshop of semi-precious stones) in Florence, from the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia and the City Art Museum of Ravenna.
“MosaiCONtempo, dai mosaici di Ravenna ai nostri giorni”
This exhibition will be followed by “Ancient Mosaics of Ravenna”, a show including a section dedicated to present-day mosaics (which will run until Mar. 30), through which the Adriatic city will present its extraordinary artistic heritage to the Czech public. The exhibition was organised thanks to the partnership between the City of Ravenna, the IIC in Prague and Art & Craft Mozaika. “We are proud to welcome this series of events in the exhibition space of the Institute,” said Italian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Aldo Amati, and the Director of the IIC of Prague, Giovanni Scioli. “We are sure that this exhibition will reveal to the wider Czech public the priceless kaleidoscope of images represented by the mosaics of Ravenna and by mosaic art in general, adding another element to the partnership between Italy and the Czech Republic under the name of art and culture.” The mosaics on display are copies, absolutely faithful to the originals, made in the 1950s and taken from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, from the Basilica of San Vitale, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare in Classe, from the Baptistry of Neon and from the Archbishop’s Chapel. The works of 26 contemporary European artists will be displayed alongside the Ravenna masterpieces. The “MosaiCONtempo” project documents the history and development of the production of mosaics and their special restoration techniques in the Czech Republic and abroad. The mosaic art, which originated in the pre-Roman Mediterranean, developed with Christian civilisation and, at its climax, became a privileged instrument for communicating the biblical message and its theology. From this perspective, the event also aims to bear witness to the light of truth, beauty and peace.
