Art as a tool to

transform a crises

in a creative

experience

2

The Italian artistic Reinasance was inspired by the ideas of

the humanist philosopher Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494)

who explained in his writing “De hominis dignitate” (The

Oratio on dignity of man, 1486)1, that Man is free and and

sovereign creator of himself”, as he believed on human

capacity he taught the amazing capacity of human

achievement. It is interesting to remember that almost two

hundred year earlier Nichiren Daishonin had affirmed that

the Lotus Sutra contained the essence of the Buddha's

enlightenment and that it held the key to transform people's

suffering and enable society to flourish. His teachings

enable people to lead happy, empowered lives.

• Accross countries and different centuries it is possible to

individuate at the origin of a cultural renaissance the

flourishing of a philosophical or religious movement that

poses the dignity of human being at the core of the

existence. According to the Italian historian Eugenio

Garin the extraordinary experience of Italian Renaissance

wa inspired by the humanist ideas of Pico della

Mirandola, Lorenzo Valla and Giovanni Petrarca. The

Secretum (My secret book) of Petrarca ("Secret Book")

is best example of humanistic literature as it is in form of

a dialogue. In particular he gave new value to the

dialectic, the exchange of ideas and information, by

comparison.

4

• Recently an arab scholar George Makdisi wrote that the

Islamic culture had an important influence on the

emergence of humanism showing that it introduced the

concept of transmission of knowledge through teaching.

He believes that the Arab conquest of Southern Europe

produced a positive cultural advancement. It is important

to give a new interpretation of the relation between

Europe and Islam, in fact lack of knowledge has a

negative influence on international relations. In fact

western scholars give a negative or rather partial idea of

the Islamic culture because their approach is strongly

influenced by the propaganda spread during the

Crusades wars.

5

• Daisaku Ikeda writes, in his recent Peace Proposal, that

meeting the other causes a physical loss of reference and

habits, but he adds that a crises can be an occasion to

create a change. Ikeda states that the trasformation in the

life of a human being can help transform the

environment, as already Nichiren had explained in his

religious preachment and also Pico had written in his

philosophical writings. In my presentation I will compare

the positive results produced by the Islamic dominion in

Sicily (9-11 cent.) and the experience of artistic rebirth

after the Belice earthquake (1968) in Sicily. Both

experiences show that the artist creativity can harmonize

the meeting with other cultures.

6

• Meeting the Other as a physical loss

causes a crises:

• The sudden loss of references and habits

• Crises are occasions to transform\create a

change

• A radical change in the life of a Human

being can help transform the environment

⤍ 827 Islam in Sicily: Aghlabids from Africa in Sicily (948) -

⤍ 1040 end of Kalbits rule

⤍ Recent discoveries reveal a material

⤍ culture of this chronological period,

⤍ new finds in the most

⤍ recent historical and

⤍ archaeological research.

8

• Berbers and Arabs conquered the island

and deeply interacted with the local culture.

Centuries after their departure many

important traces are left in the local culture:

• They introduce the enameled pottery and

the green and yellow colours, names of

tools of work and food are still the same,

many cities were founded by the Arab and

still keep the original structure. An endless

chain of relation has been kept alive until

today names of boats are written in Italian

and Arabic, many manners and customs

are similar.

10

• ON BOTH SHORES OF THE

MEDITERRANEAN SEA THE RURAL

WORK AND THE TOOLS OF THE

PEASANTS ARE THE SAME AND

ALSO THE NAMES OF THE

INSTRUMENTS ARE SIMILAR

CENTURIES AFTER THE ARABS LEFT

SICILY.

12

• STORY TELLING, LIKE JUHA’ S

ANECDOTES, FOLKLORE TALES LIKE

1001 NIGHTS, AND THE WEDDING

CERIMONIES HAVE MANY ELEMENTS IN

COMMON BOTH IN TUNIS AND IN SICILY

⤍ 1968 - 2012 Gibellina a modern example of

cultural peaceful and constructive exchange

Gibellina ’68 earthquacke

Ludovico Corrao’s Reinassance project

Art, theatre, music to build the new city

The Fondazione Orestiadi a Museum and a

cultural centre to keep the memory of the

Mediterranean civilizations (Phoenicians

Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Europeans)

Dar Bach Hamba, Tunis: Activities to promote

dialogues with the Artist & Intellectuals of

Mediterranean area and the world.

3 - Rapporti internazionali

⤍PREMIO ICOM 2011 comunicazione e rapporto con il

territorio

⤍Convenzione con Ministero Beni Culturali Tunisia e

Centro Internazionale Hamamet

⤍Mostre sull’Islam in Sicilia al Cairo, Beirut, Amman, Sana’,

Damasco, realizzate in collaborazione con il Ministero degli

Esteri

⤍Mostre d’arte contemporanea al Cairo, Algeri, Tunisi,

Beirut

⤍Conferenze a Sana’, Rabat, Damasco

I risultati raggiunti

– THE FLYING CARPET WAS MADE BY THE

ITALIAN GROUP OF ARTISTS “STALKER” AND

A GROUP OF KURDS IMMIGRANTS. THE IDEA

IS TO CREATE A PLACE TO REMEMBER THE

PAST ISLAMIC EXPERIENCE IN SICILY & AT

THE SAME TIME TO RENEW THE POSSIBILITY

OF COOPERATING IN ART MAKING

PROCESS. THE CARPET HAS VISITED MANY

COUNTRIES FROM PAKISTAN TO QATAR,

SYRIA & EGYPT

• THE TUNISIAN ARTIST MDJA MDAWI WAS

GUEST IN SICILY FOR A WHILE AND HE HELD A

LABORATORY WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN

SHOWING THE ART OF ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY.

SOME OF HIS PAINTINGS ARE NOW EXPOSED

AT THE MUSEUM OF THE FONDAZIONE

ORESTIADI AS A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF

CULTURAL DIALOGUE

20

21

• THE ARTIST ALIGHIERO BOETTI SPENT

SOME TIME IN HIS LIFE IN

AFGHANISTAN WHERE HE

APPRECIATED THE ART OF WOMEN

EMBROIDERY. HE COOPERATED WITH

THEM PREPARING A LONG DRAWING

TO BE REPRODUCED AS AN

ARTCRAFT

• EMBROIDERY ON A SILK CARPET

1 - Patrimonio e relazioni

⤍L’importante patrimonio d’arte, attrazione culturale e turistica

per la città di Gibellina, costruito intorno alla grande donazione

iniziale di Ludovico Corrao che i figli hanno scelto di rispettare e

proseguire

⤍Il patrimonio di rapporti internazionali e di presenza nel

Mediterraneo

⤍La riconosciuta compentenza nella realizzazione di mostre e

spettacoli

I risultati raggiunti

• THE ARAB GEOGRAPHER AL-IDIRISI (12TH

CENT.) WROTE A BOOK ON GEOGRAPHY

DEDICATED TO THE NORMAN KING ROGER 2 IN

SICILY. THE ARTIST GROUP STALKER PRINTED

THE IMAGE OF THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT ON

PLEXIGLASS IN ORDER TO GIVE TO THE PUBLIC

THE CONCRETE FEELING OF TRAVELLING

ACROSS THE WORDS IN THEIR ARTISTIC ARAB

CALLIGRAPHY

1 - Patrimonio e relazioni

⤍Il patrimonio di arte contemporanea, unico nel

Mezzogiorno d’Italia

⤍Il Museo delle Trame mediterranee, con oggetti d’arte e di

artigianato a confronto delle due sponde

⤍La rete di consulenti ed esperti scientifici ed artistici di

livello internazionale

⤍I suggestivi spazi per mostre e atelier

⤍La biblioteca e le pubblicazioni

⤍La sede di Palermo presso la Cuba

• A BROKEN BOAT AND SOME LETTERS WRITTEN BY THE

FAMILIES TO REMEMBER THE THOUSANDS IMMIGRANTS

DEAD IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, VICTIMS OF THE

MAFIA TRADE AND THE INDIFFERENCE OF EUROPEAN

CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENTS. ARTISTS INSPIRE THE

PUBLIC TO THINK AND BECOME AWARE OF HUMAN

TRAGEDIES IN ORDER TO AWAKEN THEIR CONSCIENCE

DEFEND HUMAN DIGNITY AND OPPOSE TO INJUSTICE