The famous Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, the creator of the Oscar-winning film “Cinema Pradiso”, as well as of the “Malena” and “Pure Formality” has been pronounced this year’s laureate of the Medal of the Pontifical Council for Culture – Per Artem Ad Deum. This distinction has been awarded for 17 years; the awarding ceremony is a part of the Targi Kielce’s Sacroexpo, until now the laureates’ fellowship includes 30 personages and among them  Ennio Morricone, Arvo Pärt, Krzysztof Zanussi, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wincenty Kućma and Leszek Mądzik.

The Medals of the Pontifical Council   By the resolution of the Pontifical Council for Culture, this year’s Per Artem Ad Deum Award goes to Giuseppe Tornatore: for showing the truth, which is the emotional experience of the relationship with the Infinite and the Unknowable. The Italian director’s artistic body of works includes many complex metaphors and religious allegories, encouraging viewers to venture into the unknown. Giuseppe Tornatore is the creator of famous pieces, including the Oscar-winning film “Cinema Paradiso”, the movie “Malena” with Monika Bellucci in the lead and “Pure Formality”. In addition, the director collaborated with the composer Ennio Morricone, to whom he devoted his latest documentary – “Ennio”.

Sacroexpo is the world’s only exhibition where the Pontifical Council for Culture Medal “Per Artem ad Deum” has been awarded. Kultury. In exceptional circumstances, the award is bestowed outside the Kielce exhibition and congress centre,  which was the case of Arvo Pärt, who received the award at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn, and Ernest Bryll – last year’s laureate, who received the award at his home in Warsaw. This year is similar in this respect – Giuseppe Tornatore will receive the medal of the Pontifical Council for Culture in the Vatican from the hands of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi – president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Bishop Marian Florczyk and President of Targi Kielce’s Board, Andrzej Mochoń PhD.

We look forward to seeing you at Targi Kielce’s Sacroexpo held from 6 to 8 June 2022. Admission – free, prior expo registration obligatory required – go to the registration via Targi Kielce’s website or on-site during the event.

www.teologiapolityczna.pl

The  Per Artem ad Deum Medal has been awarded by the Pontifical Council for since 2005; it is bestowed to those who enhance dialogue between the diversity of cultures in the contemporary world. 

Ernest Bryll awarded the Per Artem Ad Deum Medal 2021 for „poetry, that brings us closer to God and helps confront His  absolute”

Ernest Bryll – a Polish poet, prose writer, playwright, journalist, film critic, diplomat, translator. A graduate from the Faculty of Polish Philology at the University of Warsaw. He studied film sciences at the Film School in Łódź. As a journalist he collaborated with “Po Prostu”, “Sztandar Młodych”, “Współczesność”, “Miesięcznik Literacki”. His debut as a poet came in 1958 with Wigilie Wariata (Christmas Eves of a Lunatic); however, his poems in the “Non-unveiled face” (1963) collection made him truly famous.

Bryll also worked as the artistic head of Teatr Telewizji (Television Theater; 1967-1968), as well as the ‘Kamera’ film group (1967-68), and Teatr Polski (Polish Theatre in Warsaw; 1970-1974). From 1974 to 1978 Bryl held the position of the Polish Culture Institute director in London.   Bryll also lectured at the Silesian University in Katowice (1978-1979) and became the artistic head of the Silesia film group in Katowice (1978-1983). In the years 1991-1995, he was the Polish ambassador to Ireland. Ernest Bryll is also a translator of Irish, Czech, and Yiddish, songwriter (Peggy Brown and A Te Skrzydła Połamane [And Those Broken Wings]) and the author of song and music performances that tap into folk and regional themes. The most popular folk and regional works include the ” Po górach, po chmurach [The mountains, the clouds]” pastorale, in the “Painted on glass”  highlander-robber atmosphere poem. “Golgotha of Jasna Góra” – a series of poems influenced and inspired by the Mystery of the Passion and the Polish tradition of the Way of the Cross, containing fascinating images by Jerzy Duda-Gracz (a well-known painter, draftsman and set designer) can also be mentioned here. The passion-themed poem was made into an album of the same title. The poetry set to music featured famous Polish artists: Joanna Lewandowska and Marcin Stycznia. The project was awarded with the Phoenix in the category of Christian music. The “Wieczernik” [Cenacle] play, based on evangelical themes, was staged in churches all over Poland. The “I Nie proszę o wielkie znaki [I Am Not Asking for Great Signs]” and “Jezioro Kałuża [Puddle lake]” are genuine religious events,  as they contain a collection of truths about the world God lost somewhere along the way.

Bryll was bestowed the Order of the Companion of the Royal House of O’Conor (1995), as well as the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2006). He has also been presented many literary awards, including the Władysław Broniewski Award
for poetry and the City of Warsaw Award.

The  Per Artem ad Deum Medal has been awarded by the Pontifical Council for since 2005; it is bestowed to those who enhance dialogue between the diversity of cultures in the contemporary world. The gala ceremony featured the laureates: Paweł Łukaszewski for “composing creativity and the quest for religious music essence”, Jerzy Jan Skąpski for “work which translates the vision into artistic forms” and Leszek Sosnowski for “Polish literature development enhancement, with the particular recognition for his publication of a multi-volume series of books presenting St. John Paul II Pontificate history”.

Paweł Łukaszewski is a Polish composer, conductor, academic teacher and musical life animator.  Łukaszewski is the laureate of numerous distinctions. In 2000 he was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in Musical Composition, in 2006 a was awarded post-doctoral degree of Habilitated Doctor.  Since December 2010, he has been a research and teaching professor. On 28 July 2014 President of the Republic of Poland nominated Łukaszewski a full professor of musical arts.

His works have been performed at over one hundred festivals at home and abroad, including England, Argentina, Belgium, Belarus, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Spain, Iceland, Israel, Canada, South Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Germany , Peru, Russia, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City and Italy. In the 2011/2012 artistic season, Paweł Łukaszewski is a resident-composer at the Warsaw National Philharmonic. Łukaszewski is also a member of the festivals’ artistic boards, including the International Festival of Sacred Music „Gaude Mater” in Częstochowa. He also sits on jury panels of composers’ competitions, including those in Arezzo, Moscow, Bucharest and Cologne.  Łukaszewski is the  “Musica Sacra” Warsaw-Praga Cathedral Choir director and the head of “Musica Sacra Edition” music publishing house.

Łukaszewski is regarded one of the most outstanding contemporary religious music composers. His work has been appreciated globally,  the composer has been mainly recognised for composer’s creativity which features religions profoundness.

Jerzy Jan Skąpski is a painter, graphic designer and stained glass designer, one of the most outstanding stained glass makers in Poland, he is also an eminent expert and admirer of religious art.  His artistic interests also lie in easel and wall painting, posters and illustrations,  however, stained glass designs is the priority.  Jerzy Skąpski’s stained glass windows can be admired in Polish and foreign churches and chapels, including those in Sweden, Russia and France. In Poland, Jerzy Skąpski’s stained glass windows are found in  the Warsaw Church of Divine Providence in Ochota, in the Church of Our Lady the Queen of Poland – the Lord’s Ark, in Gdynia’s Our Lady of Częstochowa Navy Garrison Church, in the Churches of Podhale, in the Saint Maximilian Church in Oświęcim, in the Saint Pius Church in Ruda Śląska, in the Holy Cross Church in Zakopane, in the chapel of the prison in Montelupich Street in Krakow and many other – there is over 300 works in total.

Jerzy Skąpski is the author of Europe’s largest stained glass window –  this is a triangular image of 177 square meters, 18.5 meters in height. The stained glass window is mounted in St. Adalbert’s Church’s front glass wall of the temple,  with Saint Adalbert as the main figure. The saint wearing an episcopal tiara holds an oar in one hand and a cross in the other.

Leszek Sosnowski won 57 Polish and international awards, and among them the European Leader Awad 2005, Totus Award 2011, Pro Patria Medal 2017, Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland 2018.

In 1996, he founded the “Biały Kruk” publishing house; Saint. Pope John Paul II has been the first author published by Biały Kruk.  This publishing company is the undisputed Polish book market leader  in albums,  for many years it has promoted and propagated domestic and global arts and traditions. Numerous publications on religious, patriotic and cultural matters serve as a wonderful show-piece of Poland, its history and centuries of its rich spiritual and material heritage. Leszek Sosnowski’s genuine project – “Land of Benedict XVI” album was  published in two language versions.

In 2002 the White Kruk publishing house was expanded to include the Film Studio. This is where feature-length documentaries are produced, including ‘God’s Friend’ with Leszek Sosnowski as the chief screenwriter.  In 2004, the film received the Niepokalanów festival Grand Prix in the feature film category. The publisher was highly valued by Saint John Paul II who appointed the Biały Kruk the exclusive publish of his “Renaissance Psalter” poems collection.

Leszek Sosnowski has been the editor of over 150 books devoted to Saint  John Paul II, including the 27-volume series “History of John Paul II Pontificate”. Sosnowski also created 400 editorial concepts and graphic designs for books published by the Biały Kruk.

The next, 22nd festival of the church and religious business sector is to be held from 14 to 16 June 2021.