In the ancient times, if the two kingdoms would have an issue to solve in a military way, it was often practiced, in order to spare innocent lives, that the powers of the countries be measured by the fight of the two strongest warriors, each representing its motherland. The time has changed the borders of the kingdoms and the traditions. And nowadays a remote idea of this tradition I would hear in the project, that was inspired by the passion for arts of H. R. H. Princess Wijdan Al Hashemi.
From 25th November 2014 to 19th January 2015 in Jordan, at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts will take place an important exhibition: “The Heritage of Art. Mimmo Paladino – Mohanna Durra”, that will compare a great Italian artist with a great Jordanian artist, together with their three respective followers.
The exhibition has two purposes. The first one is to provide a snapshot of contemporary Italian and Jordanian art by associating two major artists – who have both been closely linked to some of the fundamental phases of the international art scene since the 1970s – with the current generation of artists who are charting a new constellation that is aligned with the latest global trends.
The second purpose is analyse some of the linguistic and conceptual approaches shared by the masters and their followers, with a view to understanding the analogies and intellectual legacies that these important “art figures” have left in their wake and which have been picked up, interiorised and re-worked by the following generations.
The Heritage of Art will endeavour to weave together the complex network of connections and cross-references between different modes of experiencing contemporary art from different generational perspectives, and in the process will implement another excellent cultural exchange between Italy and Jordan.
The exhibition – conceived and realized by IGAV – Istituto Garuzzo per le Arti Visive (The Garuzzo Institute for Visual Arts) with the Italian Embassy in Amman to celebrate the Semester of Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union –will take place at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman; it will feature works by the two masters Mimmo Paladino and Mohanna Durra alongside works by their followers.
The selection of the followers has been carried out by Mimmo Paladino for the Italian section, curated by Angela Tecce, and Mohanna Durra for the Jordanian section, curated by Khalid Khreis.
Promoted by: Italian Embassy in Amman, The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, IGAV – Istituto Garuzzo per le Arti Visive.
Under the Patronage of: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Ministry of Cultural Activities and Tourism, H. R. H. Princess Wijdan Al Hashemi.
