July 26, 2018 – The Medialia Gallery and its affiliated nonprofit New Approach presented the Third International Medallic Sculpture Competition for Emerging Artists titled “The Future in Hand”. The recipient of the 1st Prize Keiichi and Kyoko Uryu Memorial Award is Francesca Muscianesi of Italy. This exhibit of submissions and awarded work is open to the public until July 29, 2018. The works will travel afterwards to Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade Lisboa, Portugal, in October 2018, and Daido University, Nagoya, Japan, in May 2019.
The 1st Prize winner Francesca Muscianesi from Italy created this unique medal titled “Memento Mori”.
Muscianesi’s 1st Prize work, Memento Mori, is on display, accompanied by ten more exquisitely rendered works created by the artist since notification of her award. The prize-winning piece is a haunting split-faced portrait medal that opens to reveal a waxen skull in shallow relief, inscribed in the round: “Respice Post Te, Hominem Te Esse Momento.”
Also on display are dynamic submissions and awarded works by 2nd Prize recipient Mercedes Dorisz Molnar (Hungary); 3rd Prize recipients Armando Zelinotti (Italy) and Evgeniya Ilkove (Bulgaria); and ten purchase award recipients: Schuyler Blanchard (USA); Teodora Draganova (Bulgaria); Lindsay Jamison (USA); Samantha Kanelstein (USA); Petra Kurucz (Hungary); Ron Kustrup (USA); Sayo Nagayoshi (Japan); Mitsuho Shibata (Japan); Natali Ivanova (Bulgaria); and Bar Zecharya (Israel).
The dream of a competition open to artists born in or after 1980 emerged in 2001 when the New Approach Contemporary Medallic Art Research and Exhibition Center was established at Medialia Gallery. Known for her passion for educating young artists about the medallic arts, Director Mashiko was approached by Japanese medallic artist Izumi Nishi about establishing an education endowment for young medallists. Nishi was the eldest daughter of the late Keiichi and Kyoko Uryu, advocates of contemporary medallic art in Japan, and international promoters of Japanese medallic art. Nishi agreed with purpose of the competition, and a first prize, dedicated to her parents legacy was established. Nishi was terminally ill and after her death the competition’s 2nd Prize was named for her. The first New Approach competition titled “Beginning” was offered in 2005–2006, and the second competition, “Approaching Horizons”, in 2008–2009.
For more information on the exhibition go to the Medialia Gallery website.