Per Artem ad Deum 2014

Posted on June 10, 2014 by czarmx

At the SACROEXPO the Swiss architect Mario SACROEXPO Botta and the Polish photographer Adam Bujak have been presented with the Medal of the Pontifical Council for Culture

The Medal winners: Mario Botta and Adam Bujak

The Per Artem ad Deum Medal – Through Arts to God – every year artists, whose works bring people closer to SACRUM are awarded with the Medal. SACROEXPO is the only place in the world where this unique distinction is awarded. This year the Medal has been presented for 10th time. The Pontifical Council for Culture, the body which awards this accolade, was founded 32 years ago upon the initiative of Pope John Paul II. Establishing it, the Holy Father emphasized that “the dialogue of the Church with cultures of the contemporary world constitutes a significant area of activity, in which in the last years of the 20th century the future of the world is being shaped”.

The Medal Chapter presided by His Excellency Fr. Bishop Marian Florczyk, having considered the applications resolved to select the two laureates.

Mario Botta – the Swiss architect for his “…indefatigable quest in the search of the Form – concurrently human and divine, which would reconcile the reality with the Idea …”

Polish photographer Adam Bujak for “…the firmament of human emotions, memories and longings built from frames of Faith, Hope and Love…”

During the ceremony the winners could hardly hide their emotion. The Medals were personally presented by HE Archbishop Henryk Hoser, HE Bishop Marian Florczyk and Targi Kielce President of Board Antoni Mochoń PhD.

There is no solidarity without love

Posted on June 9, 2014 by czarmx

Adam Bujak’s works in exhibition during the fair SACROEXPO

For many years Adam Bujak was St. John Paul II photographer

The Pontifical Council for Culture Per Artem ad Deum Medal Chapter resolved that this year’s medal is bestowed upon Adam Bujak – the photography artist. The other laureate selected from among the four nominees is the Swiss architect Mario Botta. Adam Bujak can boast over 100 photo albums and posters and calendars. For several years Bujak captured and recorded Pope John Paul II life in photographs. This year’s Targi Kielce’s SACROEXPO will be able the showcase for the artist’s works. “There is no solidarity without love” exhibition will be available to the public every day of the fair in the Expo Pavilion C.

The unique character of the artist’s work is best presented in the interview recorded after Adam Bujak had been informed about winning the Medal.

I might have been a worse man

Interview with Adam Bujak – the 2014 Pontifical Council for Culture Per Artem ad Deum Medal Laureate

– What is the significance of the sacred for the arts?

– It has a great significance. I have recorded the sacred half a century. I have published over 130 albums and books in Poland and abroad. At various meetings people have been telling me that in a sense this brings them closer to God, that through my pictures they can see the beauty.

– Which elements of sacrum are the most inspiring for you as a photographer, ?

– I think the ones related to experiences. We have just published a book, me and my son show these beautiful experiences of the canonization. I am thinking about young people in particular. In a sense young people have seemed to move away from the Church , and we have observed the opposite phenomenon. I remember my being young, at that time these were mainly the elderly who would coma to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, now the vast of visitors are young people. They are attracted with the sacrum, they find it really crucial. We record all these solemn moments, the moments’ sense is clearly imprinted on their faces.

– What did you feel on receiving the information the Pontifical Council for Culture Medal?

– I found it a wonderful thing. It is like a confirmation of what I have been questing, i.e. sacrum reinforcement. The Vatican found it proper too. This is a gratitude for the work I have done.

– Which of the recent events do you think has influenced the image of sacred art and culture most strongly?

– I think all the events associated with John Paul II, but also ones related to Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. The magnitude of these great characters is thus demonstrated. When you look at photographs you see young people’s head rising up. This is amazing. Many times I been really close to the Pope. I remember John Paul II celebrating the Holy Mass in Toronto, there were hundreds of thousands of young girls and boys in front of the altar . Behind us there was Lake Ontario; and although it was unbearably hot – 28 degrees there were no people bathing in the lake. Everyone was carefully looking at “the grandpa”, the Holy Father John Paul II. They had all come to meet him, to learn more about Christ, about faith, about the good He has presented to us.

– How has John Paul II teaching and close contact with the Pope your photographic art?

– Certainly they must have had influence, but I do not look at the sheer art of photography, I look at what he has given me, how he influenced me. I might have been a worse man We know that everyone is a sinner, but the Pope guarded us against evil. It is very important to me. Pope guarded us against gender. We are said to be intolerant. People who are trying to devastate a young man, who intend to teach about sex when kids are only four years old are truly intolerant . These things I cannot accept. John Paul II was and Pope Francis is now guarding us against everything the iffy issues. They have been such a question mark. We ask ourselves where we are heading to.

Thank you for the interview.
Justyna Wrona, Radio Em.

World-famous architect at the SACROEXPO

Posted on June 5, 2014 by czarmx

Mario Botta receives the Per Artem ad Deum Medal and gives a lecture in Targi Kielce

Evry Cathedral, designed by Mario Botta (Source: bussinesinsider.com)

You love the church, because this is the place you can experience the creator. Upon entering a church building, you feel that you are in the centre of the world- once said Mario Botta – the Swiss architect . At the International Exhibition of Church Construction, Church Fittings and Furnishings and Religious SACROEXPO the artist will personally present his designs and projects. The architect is this year’s laureate of the Per Artem ad Deum Medal.

Mario Botta is one of the biggest names in world architecture. Botta is the representative of the neo-modernist regionalism, one of the Tessin architects known as the “four musketeers”. He is co-founder of the European architecture phenomenon of the late twentieth century, called “the Tessin flow”. Mario Botta started his architectural adventure when only 16 years old; then he developed the Genestrerio presbytery project . A few years later he designed the most beautiful church buildings whose form and dimensions have become exemplary owing to the fact that they offer incredibly personal space for church-goers. His buildings, at the times when church architecture often becomes a display of technical capabilities, are the sanctuaries of silence, recollection and prayer. His work serve as the proof that the church building is the heart of the city, regardless the religion; adds the artist. Among the examples of Mario Botta’s works there are: John the Baptist Church in Mogno, Cathedral of the Resurrection in Evry, Church of Santo Volto in Turin, the Chapel of Monte Tamaro and the Church of the Blessed Odoric in Pordenone. Stability and a patient quest are the characteristic feature of Botta’s architecture; he pursuit excellence because – as he says, each consecutive work is the most important one.Mario Botta has been presented with numerous awards and distinctions, including, Beton 85 Award, CICA, Massimo, International Award Architecture or the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra . He is also the laureate of this year’s Per Artem ad Deum Medal; the Medal awarding ceremony will be held during the Targi Kielce’s SACROEXPO.

The other Per Artem Ad Deum 2014 Medal winner is Adam Bujak, an artist photographer.