ART THAT SPANS THE SEAS

In the northeastern corner of the Italian island of Sicily is nestled the small city of Meri. While celebrated for its ocean views and intricate medieval architecture, what is perhaps lesser known is its art atmosphere and connection with China.

During the past few years, Meri has established itself as an open-air museum. On its streets and squares, name plaques have been replaced by terracotta tiles with artworks printed on top, created by 60 artists from 34 countries.

The project, Timeless Immortal Art, was initiated in March 2020 in Meri and has recently arrived in Huangshan, East China's Anhui province.

It began with a friendship that spanned Eurasia.

In the early days of the project, Wang Xingyi, founder of the Guiyahui Cultural Exchange Association, had just been acquainted with curator Francesco Chinnici from Sicily. With the COVID-19 outbreak, the two corresponded online about their art projects and prospects.

"We have a common vision. Maybe we are dreamers. We both love art and envision a world full of art and full of colors," Chinnici says."Our plan was to create one platform for all the artists that come from all over the world, and to talk one universal language, that is, art."

Learning about the shortage of masks in Italy at the time, Wang offered to help. She made contact with companies and governmental entities in Huangshan and Yuyao from Zhejiang province, arranging the donation of more than 50,000 masks to Meri.

As a gesture of gratitude, Chinnici's father Lorenzo Chinnici, a well-known painter from Meri, gave four of his artworks to China via the Meri government. Led by Lorenzo Chinnici, and with the support of Wang, Francesco Chinnici and the Meri government, the project was soon launched, calling for artists from around the world to submit artworks that best represent themselves and their own countries.

Among the first batch of selected works, four were created by Chinese artists: Zhang Jigang from Beijing, Zheng Xiaotong from Shanghai, Lu Mei from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Du Shusheng from Huangshan. Their works ranged from traditional Chinese paintings to calligraphy.

By June 2021, these artworks, printed on terracotta tiles, had been installed in Meri's central square and along the city streets. Accompanying the images are the names and brief introductions of the artists.

Different from traditional exhibitions where artists' works are showcased for a limited period, the idea behind this new vehicle for exhibiting art is that each of these artists becomes the symbol of a street or a landmark, and that their works are preserved and exhibited permanently to the public, making it an exhibition that transcends time.

Through this project, the city of Meri underwent a transformation, gaining a renewed aesthetic appeal and embracing cultural diversity with works from around the world.

Lorenzo Chinnici says that his designs and visions were interpreted and executed perfectly by Francesco Chinnici and Wang.

"Their intent is to promote art as a universal language, bestowing upon this project the immortality that can only be achieved through art," Lorenzo Chinnici says.

"With this project, I would like for all young artists, whom I feel a bit like a father to, to be able to interact with each other and connect with the world. I am old, and it is right to leave room for new talent."

Guiyahui is the only organization authorized to bring the project to China and use these artworks freely for nonprofit purposes. With its previous connection to the project, Huangshan became the first city in China to host it.

On May 20, the project, Timeless Immortal Art International, was launched in Huangshan's Tunxi district, themed on "by art we are connected, in Tunxi we meet the world". The launch was accompanied by the establishment of a friendly cooperative relationship between the district and Meri.

The China edition includes the exhibition of 61 works. Eighteen works are created by Chinese artists, among whom 13 are representative figures of the Xin'an school, a style of traditional Chinese landscape painting from the Huangshan region that dates back to the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"For all those who will have the opportunity to admire the works of these artists, they will have a broader and more global view of the world, from a pure and unconditional perspective like that of a child," Lorenzo Chinnici says.

Architect and painter Zheng Rengang, based in Shanghai, is one of the artists to have his work included in the project's China launch. He attended the launching ceremony.

Born into a family of traditional Chinese painters, he learned the craft at a young age and went on to specialize in Western oil painting. His works merge the characteristics of both art forms, using the colors of oil paintings to depict traditional Chinese aesthetics.

"Maybe we didn't know one another before, but this project has allowed us the opportunity to gather together and communicate with other artists," Zheng says.

"Art is universal. Even though we speak different languages, our works can establish a connection among diverse cultures. Regardless of differences in our appearances, we have similar perceptions of beauty."

Carmelo Arcoraci, Meri's councilor for culture, and Francesco Chinnici traveled from Italy to attend the opening ceremony. The event was also joined by Francesco D'Arelli, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Shanghai, government representatives from Huangshan, as well as artists from around China.

According to a memorandum signed by Tunxi and Meri, the two areas plan to engage closely in practical cooperation and share opportunities in high-quality development. They will collaborate in the fields of tourism development, heritage preservation and cultural exchange.

In line with Tunxi's aspiration to establish itself as an international hub and boost cultural exchanges, the district is currently constructing a space specifically to showcase the project's artworks.

A portion of the artworks were recently showcased at the Countryside Art Carnival held in Tunxi's Yiqi town. The exhibition will also embark on a tour, visiting other districts and counties of Huangshan.

The project is also expanding its presence to other parts of Italy, including the city of Condro. For this edition, 11 artworks selected from around the world are due to be scaled up and displayed on large ceramic panels by July.

"It almost feels like this project has a life of its own. At first we only planned to carry out the project in Meri, but to my surprise, other cities in Italy expressed their interest in participating," Wang says.

While these cities are working to employ diverse methods to showcase the artworks, the project remains unaltered in bringing together artists from all over the world. And now, the introduction of the project in Huangshan marks the first time that the project has been brought to the international level.

"In the future, we hope to find more compatible Chinese cities, foster friendly relationships between them and Italian cities, as well as pass on the torch of this nonprofit initiative, the core concept of which is that'by art we are connected'," she adds.