Biennial of Contemporary Mosaic

The main event of the 9th Biennial of Contemporary Mosaics was the exhibition Chagall in Mosaico. Dal progetto all’opera (lit: Chagall in Mosaic. From Design to Work), dedicated to Marc Chagall’s mosaic works, created over more than twenty years of activity, starting with one of the masterpieces in the MAR collection, Le Coq Bleu. The exhibition presented for the first time not only the original sketch but also, side by side, the two versions created by Ravenna mosaicists Romolo Papa and Antonio Rocchi. This work marked the artist’s first encounter with mosaic art. This was followed by numerous interventions in architectural and public art contexts, the genesis of which is reconstructed in the exhibition through mosaic trials, drawings, pastels, watercolours, tempera, gouache, collages and lithographs, testifying to the creative process that accompanied the realisation of each project. Exceptionally, the large mosaic Le Grand Soleil, originally given by Chagall to his wife Valentina for their home “La Colline” in Saint Paul de Vence, was on display. It had been removed and had not been seen for decades.
The title of the 9th edition – Shared Space – starts from the idea that mosaic is a language that triggers relationships, both between tiles and between people. In an era marked by war, political, social and economic conflict, it is necessary to reflect on the possibilities of encounter, discussion and dialogue, in real places where people live and not only in virtual spaces.
Mosaic, as an artistic technique that brings man into contact with matter, as public art and as the sensitive skin of architecture and urban spaces, reminds us that walking on the same tiles or finding ourselves in front of the same reflected light can also be a political act.