Press Releases & News

It’s a collection of ceramic sculptures that were first exhibited at the 48^th Mostra della Ceramica di Castellamonte receiving the medal of honour by the President of the Republic of Italy, and now arrives at the MACA – Civic Museum of Contemporary Art in Acri (Cs), Italy.

For the first time Silvio Vigliaturo – a world renowned glassfusion maestro – employs a different kind of earth, moulding it directly. Whenever he has to turn matter into art – true expression of his feelings – he uses his hands, in a creative performance which associates him closely to the image of the Creator. Sculpture is the direct spawn of a man’s hands. A man who pushes his thumb in the earth to shape and elevate it, creating new images and forms. Vigliaturo’s art – this new art conceived through the medium of ceramics – shows itself to the world through a complex and often contradictory vision, that of an unfocused superposition of a multitude of fragmentary images. This vision has to find a unifying character in the midst of its fragmentarily. Right away the vision breaks down, multiplying and contradicting itself, in its parts, creating numerous different visions. This fragmentation, these shards of image, are the object of Vigliaturo’s work, through which he gives life to “The Trojan War”, a series of artworks that stage the artist’s emotions.

Silvio Vigliaturo’s goal is to extend ceramics’ millenary tradition to the state of being contemporary, impressing innovation into the matter by means of acts which objectify themselves in artistic, spontaneous and peculiar forms that etch, carve, incise, life itself.

Exhibition will focus on what needs to be done to reduce

the negative impact our habits are having on urban life.

In the wake of increasing gas prices, emphasis on carbon footprints, and the initiative with recycling - Brown Cities will focus on what still needs to be done to reduce the negative impact our habits are having on urban life. It will make the taken-for-granted visible. Not only neglect, rust and pollution, but also images of action, hope, remediation and life… Images that represent a need and a call for action.

galleryDK is mounting a group photographic show examining the need for environmental initiatives in the urban landscape. Photographers and photography-based artists will be displaying images that investigate the browning of the urban environment. They will show the effects of pollution and urban decay - on the cities, on the people - and the resulting reaction/rebirth/renewal of the urban landscape.

Throughout the fall, galleryDK has been accepting artists’ submissions - from across Ontario, Vancouver and even China - for this exhibition. To celebrate this collective expression of environmental creativity, an opening reception free to everyone will be held the night of January 8^th 2009 from 7-10pm. The show will run from January 8^th through to February 1^st, 2009.

“There has been so much focus directed at the green movement, telling people what they need to do. With this show, we want to illustrate why people need to take action, to show them the effects human activity is having on the urban environment,” said Laurin Jeffrey, one of the gallery owners.

About galleryDK

galleryDK is an artist-run space that specializes in contemporary urban photography. The gallery seeks to present photographic and photo-based work examining and exploring all facets of the urban experience - not only in Toronto, but around the world. galleryDK is located at 1332 Queen Street West (at Elm Grove) on the north side. For more information, please visit our website at www.gallerydk.com.

###

For more information, please contact:
Laurin Jeffrey
416-388-1960
info@gallerydk.com

PhotoLab exhibition features photography by anyone, for everyone

galleryDK knows that it can be hard to find the perfect gift for that special someone, so they are proud to announce that every piece in their upcoming show “PhotoLab” is priced at only $200 (all pieces are framed and ready to hang). Rather than buying ties or socks or gift cards, galleryDK hopes that holiday shoppers consider giving the gift of art.

Throughout the fall, galleryDK has been accepting submissions from photographers all across Ontario and the United States for this exhibition. Landscapes, portraits, urban scenes, colour and black & white - all styles will be represented. To celebrate this collective expression of creativity, an opening reception free to everyone will be held the night of December 4th from 7-10pm.

“The digital camera revolution has opened up photography to the world. With PhotoLab, we want to do the same for photography exhibition in our gallery. We understand that it can be very hard for emerging artists to get their work into a gallery, so PhotoLab has been designed to be as accommodating as possible to all who expressed an interest in participating,” said Laurin Jeffrey, one of the gallery owners.

In an art world that can easily be perceived as elitist, galleryDK wants to show that exhibitions and art can be open to everyone. But there are a number of established artists in the show as well, so your $200 may buy something worth significantly more. With no identifying labels on the pieces, the art will be hung to appeal to buyer’s sense of style, rather than the name affixed to it.

About galleryDK
galleryDK is an artist-run space that specializes in contemporary urban photography. The gallery seeks to present photographic and photo-based work examining and exploring all facets of the urban experience - not only in Toronto, but around the world. galleryDK is located at 1332 Queen Street West (at Elm Grove) on the north side. For more information, please visit our website at www.gallerydk.com.

###

For more information, please contact:
Laurin Jeffrey
416-388-1960
info@gallerydk.com

Chicago, November 20, 2008 (word count: 641)

High-resolution pictures and a logo are available on request.

Gautier designs and produces imaginative quality furniture with a contemporary, accessible and personalized design for the home, office, and hotels. The company has been able to develop its positioning both in France and internationally, with 50 stores worldwide set up during the last 3 years, through an increasingly innovative, diversified, and quality product range. Gautier just opened its first concept store in the U.S., in Paramus, New Jersey, on November 15, and is seeking to open other locations in the United States and Latin America. It will be exhibiting at Franchise Expo South in Miami from January 9 to 11 on the French Pavilion, booths 912.

Gautier is rightly famous for its innovative contributions to rooms for young people and offers the same creativity for adults, storage and dressing areas, living and drawing rooms, offices and bedding, and more. Gautier´s furniture is multifunctional, modular, timeless, and perfectly designed as the lifestyle of today and tomorrow. The product offering is ranked on the medium and upper range of the market and is intended for customers who give priority to aesthetic and quality.

The seven Gautier product families include:

- Nursery or baby bedrooms
- Junior Collection
- Adult Collection
- Wardrobe system
- Living room
- Office furniture
- Hotel Bedrooms / Contract

Gautier has more than 650 partners throughout the world with a turnover of EUR 150 million (190 million USD) with 30% export, and has implemented a new commercial direction designed to increase the visibility of its brand, establish a direct relation with its customers.

The new Gautier store is located within a five-mile radius of many other furniture retailers. Its main target markets are New York City, Westchester/Rockland County, and northern New Jersey. Paramus, New Jersey, has the highest annual retail in the United States. Customers will enjoy an area of 4,200 square feet in a building shared with four other tenants. There will also be a logistic hub in New Jersey that will also provide a delivery and assembling.

The concept store is laid our to form a harmonious and convivial space, where the emotional and sensory dimensions prioritize the customer’s well-being. This innovative concept is both original and attractive but also logical and adaptable to any configuration, from city center to commercial zone. Inside the store, customers are circulated to get a global view of the range, while the layout incites the desire to explore. In the heart of the store, the “workshop” provides a meeting place for exchanges between consumers and the company.

To help partners and final consumers, Gautier provides a planning software to fit the furniture into the room layout. ARCHINET3D is a free, downloadable software for PC or Mac that is easy, safe, and fun to use.

Gautier is the trademark of a French furniture manufacturer for half a century, with a long history of affection in consumers’ hearts. The firm is based in Vendée county in western France with two production sites and a workforce of 1,050 employees.

Through its ability to anticipate trends and to understand users’ expectations, Gautier’s R&D department and its designers invent new technologies and avant-garde finishes and create new collections, which are the driving forces of the company’s success.

Involved in a quality improvement process, validated by ISO 9001 certification since 1994, and attached to observance of the safety standards, the company ensures that every stage of the manufacturing process is subject to rigorous control. Gautier, a socially responsible company, subscribes to a voluntary procedure for preserving the environment. In January 2004, the company obtained the top French NF Environnement label, which is the official French ecological certification. It also received ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 in 2007.

For more information, please contact:

GAUTIER USA
Stefan Brugger
CEO
3155 N. Andrews Avenue Extension
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
Tel.: (954) 975-3303 ext. 13
E-mail: sbrugger@gautierusa.com
Web: www.gautierusa.com

or:

FRENCH TECHNOLOGY PRESS OFFICE
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3740
Chicago, IL 60601
Fax: (312) 327-5261
E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.fr

For the first time in Rome and Italy, an exibition dedicated to Dutch and Flemish paintings of XVII century will take place at the Museo del Corso.
From 11 November 2008 until 15 February 2009, 55 masterpieces of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age, from Rembrandt to Vermeer will be presented. Among the masterpieces you admire “The money changer” and “Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels” by Rembrandt,”Landscape with the Hangman” by Rubens, the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Jan Vermeer,”Prince Tommaso Francesco of Savoyen-Carignano”and”Portrait of an unknown genoese lady “by Anton van Dyck and other paintings by Aert de Gelder, Frans Hals, Gerard ter Borch, Pieter de Hooch, Cornelis Bega, Gerard Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Jacobsz Salomon van Ruisdael and Jan stehen.
For who visiting the exibition we propose apartment rentals in Rome.

In November and December 2008, Dutch artist Jackie Sleper will exhibit “Dulce y Amargo” in the Museo Regional de Durango “El Aguacate”, Durango, Mexico

From 5 November - 19 December 2008, the Museo Regional “El Aguacate” in Durango, Mexico, will host the famous Dutch artist’s, Jackie Sleper, touring exhibition “Dulce y Amargo” inspired by, and dedicated to, Mexico and the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and curated by Matty Roca.

Jackie Sleper, the winner of the section “Sculpture and Installation” at the Florence Biennale 2007, has always been fascinated by Mexico and the artist Frida Kahlo, for whom she has a profound admiration and so, when she received an offer from Matty Roca to depict her vision of Mexico she readily accepted. Over the course of the following two years, Jackie Sleper spent many months in situ, about which she says “I took in everything around me, spoke with lots of people and, in particular, got a sense of the country. My previous love of Mexico only grew stronger.”

Her works are at times reminiscent of a variety of artists: Rivera, Orozco, Tamayo and Pollock. Jackie Sleper assumes absolute freedom in applying various techniques and introducing experimental elements: her work is characterised by combinations of photography and painting, and the use of mixed media. In addition to painting, Jackie also creates objects using a variety of materials, which she then transforms into wholly a new and surprising entity, such a the wonderful and fun piece “Rocatizada”, dedicated to her curator Matty Roca. The artist other works to be guided by a profound sense of humanity, and she is an artist in the truest sense of the word, her work has always been grounded in her exploration of the human existence and its significance. The art critic, Wim Van der Beek said about Jackie’s work prior to her 2007 Netherlands exhibition: “Jackie Sleper’s aim is not to shock, but to make things tangible and manageable. She does not want to magnify injustices, but to offer solutions in the form of positive and unorthodox ways of seeing.”

The Durango show is the fourth and last step in 2008 of Jackie’s touring exhibition and she is delighted to be holding in a city which she feels has a close link with her own home town of Utrecht. The museum, “El Aguacate“, is known by this name Aguacate, or avocado, due to the avocado tree planted in the garden. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city centre, built in 1890 and was the residence of the family of Francisco Gomez Palacio, son of the famous governor.

Jackie’s exhibitions showing throughout Mexico in 2008 and 2009 are all being curated by Matty Roca, art historian, museum curator and art critic. They have so far been a huge success, the first was held at the Museo de la Cultura Maya in Chetumal in March and April of this year, in May-June at the Museo de la Isla in Cozumel, and most recently at the Museum of Modern Art of Gómez Palacio in July and August.

The artist will, as always, be present at the vernissage of “Dulce y Amargo” on 5 November, at the Museo El Aguacate, along with important local personalities from the political, cultural and educational scene in Mexico and from the Dutch and European communities living in the state of Durango.

Jackie Sleper was born in Amsterdam and studied at the Utrecht Academy for Visual Arts. Between 1988 and 1995 she spent time in Ireland, Spain and Prague for study purposes. Works produced in her home country, the Netherlands, include a tile plateau in honour of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, commissioned by the municipality of Utrecht, and ‘light objects’ for the Kruisheren Hotel, a design establishment that opened in Maastricht in 2005. Outside the Netherlands, she has exhibited in Antwerp (Art-Event), Stockholm (Art Fair), Marbella (Marb Art – Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo), Geneva (Europ’Art), Klagenfurt (Biennale Austria), Salzburg (Mozart Festival), Florence (Museo Diocesano and Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea), Milan (Studio D’Ars), New York (Carrozzini Von Buhler Gallery and CVB Space), and in Mexico. One of her sculptures, “Modestia”, was exhibited during the Venice Biennale, at Open 2007. She won the 1st prize for “Sculpture and Installation” at the Florence Biennale 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Jackie Sleper
website: http://www.jackiesleper.com

Images:
You can also see images of Jackie’s art at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dulceyamargo

For journalists only:
High resolution files of these images or other press related information can be requested directly from the press office:
Vito Abba press officer
Studio Abba - Corso Italia, 6 - 50123 Florence, Italy
info@studioabba.com
http://www.studioabba.com/

Other images and further information are available at:
http://www.dulceyamargo.com/
It will be possible to follow the various stages of “Dulce y Amargo” thanks to the information and images that will be posted on www.dulceyamargo.com.

Visitors to Jackie’s exhibitions in Mexico can also upload photos taken during the exhibitions on Flickr and share them with
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dulceyamargo
At the end of the exhibition series, the authors of the three photos that Jackie likes most, will each receive a signed lithograph of one of her works.

For general comments contact:
dulceyamargo@yahoo.com

Cowboy-Up Holiday Book Tour and Fund Raiser
to Benefit Therapeutic Riding and Horse Rescues

After 20 years of working in the horse world as a professional and publishing over 1000 magazine articles and 13 books, Bonnie Marlewski-Probert created the Horse Tales for the Soul series of seven books and most recently, the historic audio series which includes the actual authors reading their own stories.

Last fall Bonnie partnered with NARHA centers around the country to help them raise funds through the sales of the Horse Tales for the Soul books. The tour ran for thirty days and more than 5000 miles, raising thousands of dollars for NARHA centers along the way. We were proud of our success on that tour!

• NARHA and Therapeutic Riding Centers rely on the horse as a therapy tool to enhance the lives of mentally, physically and emotionally challenged individuals. These centers depend on volunteers and fund raising efforts to continue the important, life changing work they do everyday.

• Horse Rescue Facilities are dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and placing unwanted, neglected and abused horses. The deteriorating economy is causing more and more owners to surrender their horses and these facilities rely heavily on fund raising efforts to continue their important work.

In support of these organizations and their mission, Horse Tales for the Soul has launched the first ever virtual Cowboy-Up Holiday Tour and Fund Raiser in an effort to help hundreds of these wonderful facilities around the country raise the funds they need to continue making a difference in the lives of people and horses everyday. Throughout the tour, our partner facilities will be selling the Horse Tales for the Soul books and brand new audio books to raise money for their organization and we need your participation to make it work!

During the tour, which officially kicks off on October 6 and runs through the end of December 2008, each participating center will earn 20% from the sale of Horse Tales for the Soul books and audio books through their affiliate link or directly from their center and volunteers hands-on fund raising efforts.

• The Horse Tales For The Soul Books and Audio Books make fabulous gifts for yourself and for all the horse-crazy people in your life. Whether you simply enjoy horse-related true stories or are looking for character building, life lessons that will inspire and motivate, these books and Audio Books have both - in each story.

• As a special thank you for your support of the Cowboy-Up Holiday Tour, Bonnie Marlewski-Probert has agreed to personally autograph each and every book purchased through the tour FREE of charge making this a wonderful, personal gift for all horse lovers for the holidays!

We are proud to be working with centers in more than 25 states and we want to encourage you to support the centers in YOUR state. In addition to helping centers around the country financially through the sale of the heart warming Horse Tales for the Soul books and audio books, we are also going to honor the top sellers each week by providing them with special gifts.  Won’t you help YOUR State’s center be next week’s winner by visiting our website at horsetalesforthesoul.com/partners and supporting the center in your state?

To learn more about participating centers in your area and the Horse Tales for the Soul Series and Tour please visit HorsetalesfortheSoul.com or contact Amy Catlin at 330-808-9620 or acatlin@horsetalesforthesoul.com.

Chicago, October 23, 2008 (word count: 579)

High-resolution pictures and logo are available on request.

Downtown Disney® in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will get its own iconic attraction, in the form of a giant, tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet into the air to view the vistas of Walt Disney World® Resort starting next spring. The balloon’s designer and manufacturer, Aérophile S.A., will attend the next IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando from November 18 to 21 , 2008, at booth 3033.

The balloon will give visitors keen for thrills the chance to ascend to the skies above Downtown Disney® for a six-minute trip, by day or night. It will give up to 30 guests at a time an unparalleled, 360-degree view of up to 10 miles.

The balloon was developed by Aérophile, the world leader in captive balloons. It is the newest and largest of the company’s Aero30 model, with a volume of 210,000 cubic feet, a 72-foot diameter, a circumference of 240 feet, and a height of 105 feet. It has a quick mooring system and a landing platform designed especially for Downtown Disney®.

Aérophile S.A. was founded in 1993, becoming the world leader in the building and operation of tethered gas balloons. Aérophile has designed 50 systems, which have been sold or are operated in 25 countries with one operating in Disneyland Resort Paris since April 2005, two systems currently in operation in California (at Great Park in Irvine, and at Wild Animal Park in San Diego), and four others are coming next year in the United States. Aérophile S.A. will present its designs and expertise at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, Fla., from November 18 to 21 at booth 3033.

For more information, please contact:

AEROPHILE
Jérôme Giacomoni
106, ave Félix Faure
75015 Paris
FRANCE
Tel.: +33 (0)1 40 60 40 90
E-mail: giacomoni@aerophile.com
Web: www.aerophile.com

or:

FRENCH TECHNOLOGY PRESS OFFICE
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3740
Chicago, IL 60601
Fax: (312) 327-5261
E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.fr

Reputed art historian and lecturer, Gregorio Luke, accompanied by the Fridos, disciples of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, will lead a fascinating series of conferences on world famous Mexican artists, at WORLD ART VISION, an exciting ten-day international contemporary art exhibition taking place in Cancun.

WORLD ART VISION is a celebration of contemporary art that offers a glimpse of some of the most cutting edge art on the international scene today. Taking place December 5th to the 14th, 2008 at the Cancun Center Conventions & Exhibitions, Cancun, Mexico, this first edition of the contemporary art exhibition promises to become paramount to the art scene in the Americas.

It is with the same enthusiasm and delight that World Art Vision welcomes Gregorio Luke, lecturer and expert on the life and works of the Mexican masters. Luke will be leading a series of grand conferences featuring mini lessons in Mexican Art History in which he will discuss the life and work of timeless artists like DIEGO RIVERA Monday December 8, FRIDA KAHLO Tuesday 9, JOSE CLEMENTE OROZCO Wednesday 10, DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS Thursday 11 and RUFINO TAMAYO Friday 12.

Gregorio Luke, who comes to discuss Mexican art and mark the presence of the Fridos, disciples of Frida Kahlo, is only the first in a series of remarkable guests who are being presented at World Art Vision. He will be participating in events to which all are welcomed and encouraged to join and experience.

Matty Roca, Artistic Director of World Art Vision, said “amongst our exceptional list of guests we have the pleasure of receiving two of the four Fridos; Arturo García Bustos and Arturo Estrada who will be actively participating during various conferences and will be mingling with the WAV public ultimately bringing testimony to a tradition of masters; this is an interesting, and rare opportunity in the art world, not to miss for those wanting to come into contact with the roots of Mexican modernism in the 20th century and its impact on contemporary art”.

World Art Vision is privileged to have Rina Lazo, artist, disciple and colleague of Diego Rivera, and wife and partner of Arturo Garcia Bustos, who will also be in contact with the WAV artists and public, take part in the various events.

WORLD ART VISION is proud to feature this collection of conferences providing an outstanding artistic testimony to what promises to be a central event for international contemporary art in the future.

For further information available to the press, please contact the press office:
Studio Abba - Corso Italia, 6 - 50123 Florence - Italy
tel. /fax +39 055 292082 - info@studioabba.com - http://www.studioabba.com/

For artists interested in participating, please contact the WAV Organisation team at
info@world-art-vision.com http://www.world-art-vision.com/

Performance artist Marina Abramovic to be awarded at the 7th Edition of the Florence Biennale. 5 – 13 December 2009, Fortezza da Basso

The seventh edition of the Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art will take place at the historic Fortezza da Basso in Florence from 5-13 December, 2009. Marina Abramovic, the acclaimed performance artist, will be the honoured guest at this edition and she will be awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico prize.

800 artists coming from 80 countries will be exhibiting more than 2,500 artworks and there will be an extraordinary meeting of cultures, languages and diverse artistic styles. The Florence Biennale supports the United Nations program “Dialogue between civilizations”, to which the Biennale has officially adhered since 2001.

As always, the Biennale will see the presence of important artists: In the 2007 edition, the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” career prize was conferred to Gilbert & George, for the 2005 edition to Christo and Jeanne-Claude and to Richard Anuszkiewicz and in 2003 to David Hockney. In the 2009 edition, Marina Abramovic will meet both the artists participating at the Biennale and visitors to the Biennale, in part of the rich calendar of conferences, meetings and video projections.

Marina Abramovic, born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is without question one of the seminal artists of our time. Since the beginning of her career in Yugoslavia during the early 1970s, where she attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, Abramovic has pioneered the use of performance as a visual art form. The body has always been both her subject and medium. Exploring the physical and mental limits of her being, she has withstood pain, exhaustion, and danger in the quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. She creates works that ritualize the simple actions of everyday life such as lying, sitting, dreaming and thinking. As a vital member of the generation of pioneering performance artists that includes Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci, and Chris Burden, Abramovic created some of the most historic early performance pieces and is the only one still making important durational works.

From 1975 until 1988, Abramovic and the German artist Ulay performed together, dealing with relations of duality. After separating in 1988, Abramovic returned to solo performances in 1989. Abramovic has presented her work with performances, sound, photography, video, sculpture, and ‘Transitory Objects for Human and Non Human Use’ in solo and group exhibitions at major institutions in the U.S. and Europe. She has also taught and lectured extensively in Europe and America.

She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale for her extraordinary video installation/performance piece Balkan Baroque‚ and in 2003 received the Bessie for The House with the Ocean View‚ a 12-day performance at Sean Kelly Gallery, New York. In 2005, Abramovic presented Balkan Erotic Epic at the Pirelli Foundation in Milan, Italy and at Sean Kelly Gallery, New York. That same year, she held a series of performances called Seven Easy Pieces at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. She is currently showing in a group exhibition “worlds on video” at the Strozzina in Florence, Italy.

Abramovic’s work is included in many major public collections worldwide.

For further information: http://www.florencebiennale.org

Press Office: Vito Abba - Studio Abba, Corso Italia, 6 - 50123 Florence, Italy
Tel./fax +39 055292082 - http://www.studioabba.com/ - info@studioabba.com