VicoliÈArte2025

Ariano Irpino is a city in southern Italy. Once a year in the historic centre of the town, a cultural event is held which transforms the alleyways of the city into an open air creative laboratory. This provides an engaging experience of art, music, performances, installations, workshops, exhibitions and many other features. 

The winding alleys, vicoli in Italian, feature multiple layers of paving stones and building materials. The alleys are not simply pathways, but rather reflections of the city’s growth, with each layer telling a story of past inhabitants. 

This year’s event is titled VicoliÈArte2025, and promises yet another adventure filled with creativity, beauty and sharing. The event runs from 28 August 2025 - 31 August 2025 and is open daily from 18h00 - 24h00 CET. 

I was delighted when I was approached by Aethereal Studios who will present The Aethereal Gallery at the event. Located in extended reality, visitors to the festival will be able to access the gallery in the Auditorium Lina Wertmúller via a virtual reality headset or via a laptop projected onto a screen. Aethereal Studios has offered me a permanent exhibition in their gallery which will open at the festival. 

“. . . passeggiare insieme . . .” or “. . . walking together . . .”, the title of my exhibition, will feature my iPhoneart. 

The works in this exhibition come with an invitation to journey together. They provoke curiosity and launch a challenge to the viewer to come along and discover the secrets hidden in mysterious alleyways, where one has not traveled before. Embracing the adventure and walking together gives space to a longing to share all the sensations and emotions that arise during the experience.

For those unable to attend the event in person, I invite you to follow my social media for a direct link to the gallery once the festival begins.  I hope to see you there! 

Update: The gallery is now permanently open and you can visit it here.

Sacred Art 3.0

In 2015 I visited Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous and significant squares in Rome. At the heart of the city, this square has a long history and is an important point of reference for residents and tourists alike.

Its ancient roots date back to Roman times when it was an obligatory passage point for those entering the city from the northern side. The square as we see it today is the result of an urban intervention in 1550 which has been modified over the centuries.

Piazza del Popolo has always been a meeting place and a point of socialization.  It is surrounded by cafes, shops and restaurants and is an important hub for those who move around the centre of Rome.

Located in the square is the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto, a Baroque church which is one of two churches that stand on opposite sides of the square. It is called “Church of the Artists”. Its proximity to this important square which is a centre for art and culture, led to it being frequented by personalities from the art world over the centuries. It continues to be a meeting place for artists today

Looking back at my photos from 2015, I discovered a video I took of people walking across the square with the Church of the Artists in the background.  Little did I know then, that ten years later the figures in my iPhone artworks would “walk” across this square inviting visitors to the square to join them!

I am thrilled to announce my participation in the upcoming “Sacred Art 3.0” exhibition, set to take place at Rome’s historic Piazza del Popolo from19 February 2025 to 23 February 2025 between 7 PM and 11 PM. Celebrating the “Jubilee 2025”, this innovative event will inaugurate the “Jubilee of Artists” and transform the square into an open-air gallery, projecting digital artworks directly onto its pavements, thereby allowing visitors to engage with the pieces in a dynamic and immersive manner.

“Sacred Art 3.0”, under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy of Theology and the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesano, has invited international artists to reinterpret traditional sacred themes through contemporary digital media. The selected artworks will be displayed in a continuous loop, accompanied by ambient music, creating a reflective and interactive atmosphere. The works will be projected from the Basilica onto the square. Attendees are encouraged to walk over the projections, becoming integral components of the art experience. The location for this event, and all the surrounding elements, make this space so special for such a project.

This project has been conceived by Paolo Ferigo and Stefano Favaretto who also acts as curator.  I have had the honour and pleasure to meet and collaborate with Stefano on various projects in the Spatial metaverse.

Diversity

As an iPhone artist, my creative process involves capturing fleeting moments through focused observation and deep listening to my surroundings. This practice allows me to perceive and convey the subtle energies and vibrations present in everyday life. Participating in this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to present my work in a format that encourages public interaction, aligning with my belief in art as a shared, communal experience. For this prestigious exhibition, my artworks have been animated to take my concept of stillness in movement into yet another dimension.

I am honored and humbled to contribute to this event, which seeks to make sacred art accessible and engaging to a broad audience. If you’re in Rome during these dates, I invite you to visit Piazza del Popolo to experience this fusion of tradition and technology firsthand. I will also share updates on my social media to share this immersive artistic journey with you.

Imithandazo and Raining Madiba

The opening of the My African Dream Events space this week in Spatial was a huge success.

I was honoured to exhibit my African collection "Imithandazo" alongside the calligraphy collection "Elegant Strokes of Japan" by Fumio Kojima from Kyoto. Once again the Bridging Worlds concept was on display, as were the bonds and connections created with others in the metaverse.

These exhibitions will remain there for some time and you are invited to visit and view them.

At the opening I was asked to speak about my collection. I shared how the collection was inspired by the song with the same name and focused on two themes of the song - collaboration and blessing.

To illustrate the special meaning of rain in Africa I spoke briefly about my artwork "Raining Madiba".

I would like to share the story in detail here:

The year is 2008, the month is August, and I am in South Africa, the land of my birth. It is a very chilly morning in the Cape as we set out for Groot Drakenstein prison, formally known as Victor Verster. It is so chilly in fact, that we make sure we have extra layers of clothing under our smart outfits. 

My husband and I are privileged to be invited to the unveiling of a 3,2 metre statue by the sculptor Jean Doyle.  This is no ordinary sculpture, for it commemorates a significant event in 1990, and a historic moment in Nelson Mandela’s walk to freedom.  

The bronze statue marks the spot outside the prison where Nelson Mandela took his first steps as a free man after twenty seven years. 

We drive from Cape Town to the Cape Winelands. As we approach the prison after an hour long drive, we go through at least three security checks, confirming for us that Madiba will indeed be present at the unveiling. He is! 

We are welcomed by Tokyo Sexwale, who commissioned the sculpture, into a huge marquee, erected especially for the event. We mingle with the other guests and are delighted when we are introduced to Ahmed Kathrada and Eddie Daniels, both of whom were on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. We discover that it is Ahmed’s 79th birthday today and that Eddie is 80 years old, despite the fact that he looks as if he is in his late 60’s!

“Tell them about the day you stole the newspaper from Brother September when he was praying”, says Ahmed to Eddie, who replies that “It was a spur of the moment thing!”  We laugh together as this tale and others are shared.

Eddie tells us that they are healthy now in their old age because when they were young they did physcial labour, ate no fatty foods and had discipline! Realizing what he is referring to, we all burst out laughing again. 

The time for the unveiling arrives and we move outside. The wind is blowing and it is raining. My small umbrella keeps blowing inside out. Next to us stand the Brand family.  Mr Brand was Nelson Mandela’s prison warden. I look at him and am overwhelmed as I am confronted head on with the overwhelming power of forgiveness and reconciliation. 

To our right is a special tent that has been set up for Madiba and his family. 

Speeches are made and then the moment arrives. As the statue is unveiled, the skies open further and there is the most incredible downpour in that instant!  Perhaps I should not be surprised but I am. Such a downpour is considered a blessing in Africa. I am witnessing a special moment.  Not only those of us present, but all of nature, is applauding and approving. 

I decide that the rain will not deter me.  I cannot go home without at least one photo of Madiba.  I make my way as close as possible to the open-sided tent. A lady next to me shares her huge black umbrella with me as I hold up my camera and shakingly click. 

Later, my sms to my children reads, “Drenched but happy. Saw him. Love Mom”

In Abu Dhabi five years later I attended the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, who passed away on 5 December 2013. 

After the service, my dear friend Bahareh Amidi, who recited at the memorial, encouraged me to create an artwork as a tribute to Madiba. I got out my photos taken at the unveiling, picked up my iphone, and allowed my fingers to create a piece.

The resulting artwork “Raining Madiba” depicts Nelson Mandela becoming a raindrop which blesses the entire world.

Soon after that I was honored to have the artwork up on TV screens at a special event in Dubai.  South Africans from all over the region gathered together with friends at the Habtoor Grand Resort, to watch a live broadcast of of Nelson Mandela’s funeral in Qunu, his rural home village in the Eastern Cape Province. Each guest also received a printed copy of the artwork.

Phebus Georgiades, secretary general of the South African Business Council in the UAE made this sharing possible.  Mr Georgiades organized the memorial event in coordination with the South African consul-general. 

I was deeply encouraged by all who shared with me what they saw in the artwork.

May “Raining Madiba” continue to foster reconciliation and love amongst us all. 

(A Japanese translation of this post can be found here)