March 2017 NUI Galway Host Symposium Celebrating the Legacy of the Italian Renaissance

‘Italian Art and its Icons: The Past in the Present’

NUI Galway will host a one-day symposium on the legacy of the Italian Renaissance in contemporary culture on Thursday, 23 March. The symposium is being organised by NUI Galway’s Italian department in collaboration with 126 Artist-Run Gallery, TULCA Festival of Visual Art, MUS.E (Museums of Florence), the Italian Institute of Culture, Dublin, and the University’s Moore Institute.

‘Italian Art and its Icons’ will begin with talks from Finola O’Kane Crimmins, UCD, and NUI Galway’s Professor Paolo Bartoloni and Professor Daniel Carey in the McKenna Lecture Theatre, Arts Millennium Building at 4pm. This will be followed at 7pm with talks by Valentina Zucchi, MUS.E and Michaele Cutaya, Writer and Editor, in 126 Artist-Run Gallery, St. Bridget’s Place, Galway City.

Italian art and Florentine Renaissance particularly, have had an enduring influence over the years, and continue to attract the attention of contemporary artists such as Jeff Koons, Jan Fabre, Gaetano Pesce and ai weiwei. But what remains of the Renaissance in contemporary practices, and how does contemporary art engage and interact with iconic Renaissance spaces like the city of Florence? What form does Italian art and Renaissance take in Ireland, and where is this influence felt in the Irish landscape? These questions will be addressed by academics, curators, and cultural practitioners from Italy and Ireland.

Local Italian restaurants and business including Mona Lisa, Il Vicolo, Basilico, Ciarlantini, cheese importer Grapecircus, and Thomas Woodberry Wines will contribute their food and experience of Italian cuisine as part of the symposium.

Professor Paolo Bartoloni, Head of Italian at NUI Galway, said: “This event is an exciting example of creative engagement, bringing together the University, government organisations, and artistic curators, to inspire new and imaginative ways to rethink and reflect on European cultural heritage, as well as initiate cross-cultural dialogue.”

The event is free to attend but places are limited. For catering purposes, attendees should register at https://italianartgalway.eventbrite.com.

For further information email paolo.bartoloni@nuigalway.ie, andrea.ciribuco@nuigalway.ie or L.ELIVS1@nuigalway.ie.

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