Art as identity, root and bridge between cultures. The Catalani International Award returns to Messina, now in its sixth edition, with a vernissage and awards ceremony scheduled today at 5.30 pm at the Spazio Macos, in the heart of the city, a few steps from the Catalani Church.
Conceived and organized by Mamy Costa, the award confirms itself as an event that aims to overcome geographical and linguistic borders, consolidating the international vocation of Messina, historically a crossroads of peoples in the Mediterranean and “Gateway to Sicily”.
The theme chosen for this edition borrows a famous statement by Jackson Pollock – “I am ‘in’ my work” – on the 70th anniversary of his death. An invitation to combine being and doing, identity and creation. Because, as the organization underlines, a part of the artist always remains in the work and, at the same time, each work becomes a mirror of a collective feeling made of colours, lights and shadows, beauty and social commitment.
The exhibition – which can be visited from 21 to 27 February – will present the finalist works both in presence and in virtual form, in an installation curated by Mamy Costa and created in collaboration with APAT (Landscape, Environment and Territory Association) and AMA (Messina Beekeepers Association), with the support of local entrepreneurs. An intertwining of art, territory and sustainability that strengthens the civic dimension of the initiative.
«The Catalani International Award was created with the aim of honoring those who have distinguished themselves for their contribution to the artistic and intellectual growth of humanity», states Costa. Innovation, beauty and social commitment are the key words of an award that is divided into different categories – Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Digital Art – and which intends to enhance works capable of narrating the present with a new look, promoting peace, sustainability and human rights.
Over forty finalist artists, coming from all over Italy and abroad – from Ukraine to Germany, from Portugal to Australia – confirming the international scope of the event. Three winners will win a personal exhibition in 2027, inclusion in the 2027 Contemporary Art Catalog and a dedicated video exhibition. There will also be special prizes awarded by the associations and supporting entrepreneurs, while all participants will receive a certificate of merit.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a paper catalog and a video catalog that can be used online on social channels, further expanding the audience and transforming the event into a widespread experience beyond the physical confines of the gallery. In a time marked by fragmentation and conflict, the Catalani Prize therefore aims to make art a space for intercultural dialogue and comparison, bringing Messina back to the center of a cultural map that looks to the Mediterranean but dialogues with the world.
The finalists
Below are the finalist artists participating in physical or virtual form: Augusto Arrotta (ME) Maria Barisani (TO) Stefania Bottino (VR) Milena Emma Caracciolo (MI) Rino Cicirelli (GR) Daniela Ciuperca (TO) Miki Comoglio (PG) Cetty Coppolino (MT) Serenella Costa (ME) Nino Tanuki Crisafulli (ME) Alessandra Croce (VC) Renata De Santo (TO) Lucia Di Cicco (BA) Antonella Fattore (SA) Ida Fisco (NA) Regina Fisicaro (CS) Monica Florino (FI) Frage (PA) Maria Antonietta Garzia (PE) Giuliano Gaspari (NA) Elena Giambenedetti (PI) Antonina Giotti (VA) Silvia Grassi (LU) Fiorenza La Fauci (ME) Daria Lazarenko (UKR) Moreno Lonardi (VR) Josè Miranda (PRT) Giusy Marra (AUS) Laura Marra (GE) Anna Rita Mattei (LT) Francesca Mazzaglia (CT) Kety Olivieri (LU) Ignazio Pandolfo (ME) Giovanni Pione (ME) Liala Polato (BS) Dino Puglisi (CT) Maria Raffa (ME) Rosanna Reategui (GE) Marta Rodighiero (VE) Aneta Rogalska (VA) Sabina Romanin (PN) Antonietta Russo (CT) Matteo Spadaro (ME) Tania Spina (BO) Anna Stampa (TP) Stefania Tagliabue (VB) Bianca Tomer (TO) Victor Tretjak (DE) Patrizia Valentini (TO) Francesca Varone (ME) Gabriella Zedda (CA).
The prizes
There will be three winners, for whom the following prizes are foreseen: 1 – a personal exhibition in 2027 2 – inclusion in the Contemporary Art Catalog 2027 3 – video exhibition 2027. Further prizes will be assigned by the supporting Associations and Entrepreneurs. All other artists will receive a certificate of merit. The exhibition is accompanied by a paper catalog and video catalogue, which can also be viewed online on all social media.