Italy in Muscat

Conference 

The cultural exchange, which took place at Bait Al Zubair, featured three speakers each from Oman and Italy. Photo — Shabin E./Times of Oman

MUSCAT: Ceramic artists and experts from Italy and Oman shared their ideas and know-how at a seminar on Monday evening that concluded the ‘Italy in Muscat’ cultural exchange.
The event, which took place at Bait Al Zubair, featured three speakers from each country who spoke about different aspects of ceramics, from the history to modern applications.
“The best results in art have been achieved through cultural exchange,” said Dott Marco Bellucci, a city councillor from Gubbio, Italy, where artists from Oman and Italy worked together last summer.
Italian ceramic artist and historian Marino Moretti spoke about the influences of the Islamic world on European ceramics.
Many Persian techniques and styles were adopted by French and Italian ceramists a few centuries after they had originated in the Middle East such as the use of white as a base for painting other designs, he said.
Italian ceramic artist and historian Marino Moretti spoke about the influences of the Islamic world on European ceramics.
Many Persian techniques and styles were adopted by French and Italian ceramists a few centuries after they had originated in the Middle East such as the use of white as a base for painting other designs, he said.
“It was a revolutionary introduction. It let artists paint on a white surface for the first time instead of terracotta,” Moretti said.
Omani ceramist and lecturer at SQU, Dr Badar Al Mamari, presented an overview of the history of ceramics in the Sultanate. Creativity and design were features of the work dating back as far as 1200BC. “They were thinking about how to be artistic,” Al Mamari explained.
While for centuries the styles in Oman remained similar and traditional, within the past 20 years there has been more exploration of the craft due to improved arts education and institutions, and ceramic artists are willing to try new styles.
“It really pushes Omani ceramic artists. It’s now the time to develop Omani ceramics,” he said.
Nicola Boccini, an Italian ceramic artist and innovator, introduced the audience to his hometown of Deruta, which has 200 ceramics factories, despite its population of just 4,000 people. He also spoke of how ceramics are used in many industries, including aerospace, automotives, dentistry, and even fashion.
The seminar concluded the Italy-Oman cultural exchange, which also featured an exhibition in Italy last summer, and a ceramics exhibition at Bait Al Baranda which opened last Saturday.

Seminar on ceramic art held at Bait al Zubair Museum – Oman

The seminar was based on an exhibition at Bait al Baranda Museum – which closes on Wednesday – of select works by six Omani artists and six Italian artists, who spent two weeks together in Italy last summer exchanging art techniques, styles and visions on ceramic art.