Ravenna Biennale of Contemporary Mosaic Opens October 7

The fifth edition of the Biennale of Contemporary Mosaic takes place in Ravenna from October 7 to November 26, 2017, celebrating the city's UNESCO-recognized Byzantine mosaic heritage. The event transforms monuments, museums, and cloisters into galleries where ancient and contemporary art dialogue. Key initiatives include the restoration of a mosaic copy of the Madonna in Throne from Sant'Apollinare Nuovo by the Fondazione RavennaAntica restoration lab, and the fourth edition of GAEM (Young Artists and Mosaic) at Biblioteca Classense, a contest for artists under 40. Two main exhibitions run until January 7, 2018: "SICIS Destinazione Micromosaico" at Palazzo Rasponi delle Teste, marking SICIS's 30th anniversary, and "Montezuma, Fontana, Mirko. La scultura in mosaico dalle origini ad oggi" at MAR – Museo d'Arte della città, curated by Alfonso Panzetta with Daniele Torcellini. The MAR show features 140 works by over 60 artists, tracing mosaic's evolution from antiquity to today, focusing on the relationship between sculpture and mosaic. Curator Panzetta notes that contemporary art is more mosaic-like than perceived, with the tessera concept metamorphosing into assemblage and pixelation. The biennale underscores Ravenna's status as mosaic capital.