MULTIPOINT EXHIBITION
This month was the opening day of the Multipoint exhibition in Oravska Gallery in Dolny Kubin (Slovakia)
This exhibition is mapping four years of the Multipoint International Art Symposium, which takes place annually in Nitra, Slovakia. The idea behind the symposium is to gather talented artists from around the world, present them with a theme and let them go crazy with it.
During their 10 day stay in Slovakia artists have at their disposal paints, canvases, studio or outside space - depending on their preference of natural or artificial lighting; spatial requirements and individual creative process. But most of all they are given time to work without being disturbed or needing to worry about anything else but their project. The friendly and enthusiastic organisation team makes sure all their needs are being catered for.
In the afternoon the studios become a place of friendly discussions, sharing opinions and ideas about art and life, often accompanied by a glass (or couple) of fragrant Slovak wine. Resonating with music and laughter, studios attract the local artist community to come and see the artworks, and join the fun.
The evening (after a great dinner) is devoted to artists’ presentations, where everyone has a chance to show their portfolio to a panel of peers, followed by some more chatting, relaxing and drinking, spontaneous jam sessions and impromptu music improvisations, which frequently go on until late night.
The participating artists also get the opportunity to discover Slovakia through numerous trips, visits to local galleries and sightseeing. Every year, Multipoint ends with an exhibition of all the works of art completed by the participants throughout their stay.
During the four years of its existence, this symposium has accommodated 47 artists from 23 different countries including USA, Mexico, Greece, New Zealand, Finland, Romania, France, Holland and Turkey. Multipoint is not just interested in conventional academic painting; whether someone wants to use watercolour, drawing, engraving, spray paint and stencils or photography and printing - they are free to explore different genres and styles. Therefore the motto of the symposium prompts people to “step out of the ordinary” and fully embrace their artistic potential. As Janko Kurinec from Slovakia, participant of the last year’s Multipoint, states: “Man decides to attend an art symposium, just to find out on the last day, that the art has been just a prelude to new friendships, experiences and knowledge.”
The Multipoint exhibition is showcasing a selection of the best works that have been created during the four years of this international art symposium and is running until the 30th March 2014. (If you are travelling to Slovakia, you really don’t want to miss it!)
And what do the other participants have to say about this symposium?
“I had a good chance to understand new culture, art and tradition. I believe that Multipoint symposium is a very energetic and inspirational spot to generate new ideas and to work for me.”Dhaneshwar Shah (India)
“I think it was a fundamental experience in artistic and human terms.” Elena Ascari (Italy) ”M Team did much more than the expected: they anticipated any need of participants, they had foreseen the program to the last detail, they chose participants with good mix of ages, styles and nationalities, and most importantly they behaved like kind and generous friends, not saving any effort to make everything run smoothly. Everybody was being able to do lots of work in a friendly atmosphere, meeting very interesting people (that ended being friends) and exchanging ideas and thoughts with all the people involved as I can’t remember having done before so intensively. Participation in Multipoint is a good investment for any painter under 90, to spend a long working week in Nitra.” RaiEscalé (Spain)