By Heidi Trautmann
Meanwhile you must have all realized that paper art is gaining ground when we consider the announcements of exhibitions and the reviews I have been writing in the last few months. Not only IAPMA the International Association of Paper Making and Paper Artists are continuously present on paper conferences and festivals around the world but also many other institutions have sprung up and galleries have started to invite paper artists to show their work.
I am kept in the loop by my paper artist friend Ismet Tatar and her colleague Inci Kansu of whose activities I have reported recently. There was also the most noteworthy Iapma Conference and workshop in Nicosia held in April this year at the Near East University, and there was the Festival in Korea I wrote about where Iapma took part.
I think it is very important to “keep our ears on the rails” as we say in German to follow up the road this special art form is taking. Ismet Tatar has been invited to participate in numerous paper art events and there she appears to be the only representative of Cyprus.
Iapma is organizing their next migrating events starting in the medieval town of Burghausen in May, a place I have a special connection to, it is where I grew up, you can find my introduction to it on my website “Back to the roots” under “Heidi’s latest adventures” and continuing in Ebrantshausen; from there the exhibition will go to Michelstadt in Poland.
The next event Ismet Tatar will represent Cyprus is for the Amateras Foundation in Sofia Bulgaria, also to take place in other places of interest. Here is the last press release of the foundation on the paper art festival 2011:
The 2011 Paper Fest, taking place from May 3rd to June 30th, will have its opening in the City Art Gallery, and aims to feature new ideas in contemporary art concerned with the planet’s health and showing possible ways for eco-creativity, leading to a new quality of ‘eco-esthetic.’ Sofia Paper Art Fest 2011 will show the endless possibilities of paper as an eco friendly art material and source of inspiration, as well as to demonstrate techniques of creativity via workshops and lectures.
The 2011 Paper Art Biennial is a unique international large-scale paper 2D and 3D art exhibition, that features the artwork of almost 100 artists from 36 countries and 6 continents. It is organized by Amateras Foundation whose Creative Director is Todor Todorov and its International Curator Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos, Curator of Tenri Institute and Associate Professor at John Jay College of the City University of New York, New York; Liisa Malkamo MA – Curator for Finland and Daniela Todorova MA – Curator for Bulgaria.
The event is supported by:
The Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Sofia Municipality, The Japanese Embassy, The American Embassy, The Finish Embassy, The Norwegian Embassy, The Italian Embassy, The Lithuanian Embassy and The British Council.
The 2011 Paper Art Biennial will open with receptions at the following galleries: the National Art Gallery – opening 5 May
- Natural History Museum – opening 5 May
- Academy of Arts Gallery – opening 6 May
- National Gallery of Foreign Art – opening 14 May
- Gallery of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – opening 14 May
The 2011 Green Architecture Biennial will show projects, movie presentations of green architecture from different countries, including a conference, which will emphasize the eco-friendly green technologies and energy saving projects, harmonizing man and nature.
It will open with receptions at:
-Altera Center- Opening May 26th
-The Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Opening May 14
-The Amateras Annual small-scale paper art exhibition/competition 2011, will show 71 artists from 30 countries in its third edition at Art Alley Gallery, Curated by Daniela Todorova MA and juried by Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos, and Gail Stiffe.
- The Student Paper Art Project 2011 will be organized by the National Academy of Art and feature the paper art works of students and professors, and includes lectures, demonstrations and workshops.
For Further information Please Refer to:
Amateras Foundation -
www.amateras.eu
http://www.facebook.com/login/setashome.php?ref=genlogin#!/pages/Amateras/111147082287382
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_107515569322029
This is still not the end this year for Ismet Tatar. For the months of September until December 2011 she is invited by the The Wilfried Museum in Israel to participate there in two exhibitions. And concluding the year will be an exhibition in beautiful Florence in December.
Paper, the carrier of time, I once said. It is one of the most important materials humans have created and it honours todays’ artists that they make use of it to create art. And Ismet Tatar – as so many of her colleagues – never tires to look for new fibers in nature, experimenting and creating.
PS: Re Pictures: Ismet Tatar used local plants to create her own paper. Her works for all the exhibitions mentioned were chosen by international juries.