Out & About

MALTESE GODDESSES' triumph in ITALY

2007 Malta Biennale in Italy(2-16 Sept.)

By Gozopolitan News
Sicily, Sept 4, 2007 - 17:46:48 PM

RAPHAEL LABRO conquered the art loving public with his Maltese goddesses when he received a SPECIAL AWARD by the President of the 2007 MALTA International (105 Nations) ART BIENNALE (inaugurated on 19th May 2007 in Malta by the President Emeritus of the Republic of Malta and former President of the General Assembly at the UNITED NATIONS, Prof.Guido de Marco), at the opening of the satellite show in ITALY (last of the 2007 Malta Biennale satellite shows after CANADA, USA, IVORY COAST, PORTUGAL, FRANCE and GERMANY) on 2nd September 2007 in Licata, Sicily.

Malta Biennale Award Wining Yogi Goddess by Labro >>>

The opening of the satellite show in ITALY of the 2007 MALTA International (105 Nations)ART BIENNALE, on 2nd September ,at the Zodiaco Gallery in Licata was held within a numerous Italian and international attendance. After the Malta Biennale inauguration by President Emeritus of the Republic of Malta , Prof.Guido de Marco, on 19th May 2007, at the Mediterranean Conference Centre(built by the Knights in 1574), satellite shows events (ever since the first Biennale in 1995)followed on three continents. This year, after Canada , U.S.A,. Ivory Coast, Portugal, France and Germany , the MALTA BIENNALE has reached its last satellite show in Italy from the 2nd to the 16th September. It was inaugurated by its Founder-President Dame Francoise Tempra and the Vice Ð Presidency Team for the MALTA BIENNALE in ITALY(Dott.ssa Enza Prestino, Dott. Piero Mancuso ,Dott.ssa Rosy Ballacchino, Dott.Maurizio Mancuso). It included five cultural events in Licata, Mollarella and Ravanusa with art exhibitions (supported by the 60 pages glossy colour catalogue 2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE-SEZIONE ITALIA) poetry reading, lectures and film. The fourteen participating countries. from 5 continents were : Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Israel , Italy, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Russia, Serbia Montenegro,Spain, UK and USA. MALTA BIENNALE non-competing Special Certificates and Awards were presented by the Malta Biennale Founder-President and the Italian Vice-Presidency Committee.

Philip Chircop (Malta)2007 Malta Biennale First Prize Painting, received on 19th May in Malta , was presented with a Special Award for his most dynamically inspiring abstract individual exhibition at the BAIA D'ORO in Mollarella . A trophy for Award-holding in previous Biennales to fascinating bronze sculptor and painter Francesco Iacono (Italy) and another for Luciano Astolfi (Italy) for his irresistible and vibrantly coloured, almost theatrically flavoured , at times , figures and compositions.in his one-man show.

Award also for Raphael Labro (France) , a Malta Temples 'addict', who after travelling and living in exotic places throughout the world , became 'Gozitan' with his wife Penelope and two young children, Princess Lola and Captain Morgan, in 2003. Raphael's 'Homage to Malta' with his painted monumental Maltese Goddesses and enthusiastically learned commentaries on the Maltese temples converted most art lovers present to re-discover Malta and Gozo!

ITALY- 2nd September 2007- Inauguration MALTA BIENNALE-Galleria ZODIACO-LICATA - RAPHAEL LABRO (France Ð Gozitan with his wife and children since 2003) who delighted the public in ITALY with his 'Homage to Malta': gigantic pictorial MALTESE GODDESSES receives the non-competing MALTA BIENNALE Award and the LICATA Banner (held by his wife). Photo: frrom left: Maurizio Mancuso, Penelope Labro (artist's wife), RAPHAEL LABRO, Dott.ssa Enza Prestino, Dame Francoise Tempra and Dott. Piero Mancuso.

Lorenzo Maria Bottari (Italy)'s trophy valued his most intriguing emotional philosophy in pictorial terms. The President of the Malta Biennale declared herself delighted to present the Special Award to Franco Ferraro (Italy )whose tremendously passionate poetical , high quality Figurative painting proved a great credit to that Section XIII Salon (Figuration), uniquely represented by the Malta Biennale in the history of the world Art Biennales.

Other non-competing Special Awards went to Dora Liotta(Italy),Nunzio Mazzamutto (Italy),Giampiero Cittati (Italy), Manuel Barata (Portugal),Bandy (Italy),Maria Bonnici (Malta), Sebastiano Caracozzo(Italy), Manuel Felix Quintanilla (Spain) , Lory (Italy),Maudi (Italy),Michael Korber (USA), Gianni Pina (Italy),Milena Kunz (Italy/Germany) ,Michela Pirrera(Italy) Dustin Cauchi(Malta),Alfonsina Quintini (Italy),Anton Agius(Malta),Abraham Admoni(Israel) ,Gabriel Caruana(Malta), Frank Hill (UK), Giuseppe Zagarrio (Italy), Vito Zagarrio (Italy),Rosario Ballacchino(Italy),Felicity Prazak (Australia),Joe Genovese(Malta) ,Arthur Rizzo (Malta), Luciano Gasper (Italy),Nitaker(Monaco), Lilika Papanicolaou (Greece),Thanassis Akrivopoulos (Greece),Jason Alexander (Canada),Ljupco Samardziski(Serbia Montenegro) , Anna Panyasuk (Russia), Laurence Imbert (France), Ran Gazit(France /Israel).Guy Lemesre(France)

Other non-competing Awards for Poetry with the Italian UNITRE Association/ Santina Vincente President for the Licata Group::Caterina Russo , Enza Prestino,Maria Pia Arena,,Maria Stella Filippini, ,Domenico La Marca,Loredana Raneri, Ines Rosalia Ricobene.

Many of these artists are present in the Exhibition at Villa TempraSir Harry Luke Street - MGARR - for the 32nd Event (Inaugurated 10th September) of the 2007 MALTA International (105 Nations) ART BIENNALE with the ART Exhibition shown in at the 2005 MALTA BIENNALE and 2006 TEMPRA ACADEMY in France, Germany and USA,
'The ELOQUENCE of BLOOM ' ART (Sculpture/Painting/Graphics from 26 Nations) and additional works by artists having received Special Mention at the:
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in Ivory Coast(February)
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in Portugal (March-May)
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in the USA(March-May )
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in France(July
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in Germany(August )
2007 MALTA ART BIENNALE in ITALY(2nd -16th September)

11th September ~ 10th October 2007 daily viewing at VILLA TEMPRA:Viewing ONLY by APPOINTMENT
Tel: (+356) 7901 0140 & 7903 1842 & 7977 7020 & 2157 9767

Sophie Dali

Photos from Malta International Art Biennale in Licata