An Art Residency in Beautiful Sicily: Ivan Juarez a farm Cultural Park
A space and time to devote yourself completely to the creation of new artworks: this is what Arte Laguna Prize wants to offer with its program of art residencies.
The experience of Ivan Juarez, architect of Mexican origins, at Farm Cultural Park perfectly embodies this philosophy. Ivan was the winner of the residency offered by Fram Cultural Park in partnership with the 12th edition of Arte Laguna Prize. He had the chance to spend 10 days in this unique cultural center, where contemporary art and urban regeneration merge into the magical atmosphere of a land like Sicily.
As told by the curator Annamaria Grasso, Ivan’s presence “was a chance to rediscover and reconfirm the need to regain space and time for ourselves, to be able to cultivate our thoughts, our reflections and our projects looking to the future”. A concept reiterated also by Andrea Bartoli, founder of Farm Cultural Park, who is keen to underline how the collaboration with Arte Laguna Prize has been an important opportunity of interaction and growth “for us and for the territory in which we operate”.
During the time spent at Farm Cultural Park, Ivan let himself be inspired by the colors and the scents of Sicily, creating a site-specific installation called “Garden of Senses”, conceived for the Sette Cortili area. The work is a tribute to the Mediterranean landscape, an olfactory garden where several fragrances of aromatic plants such as lavender, thyme, sages, rosemary and mintare mixed; a series of natural scents that activate the visitor’s perceptions, conveying a unique sensory experience. Through this installation, visitors are invited to reflect, listening to their senses. “I have developed a daily connection to the place”– Ivan says –“The Sicilian context has been a powerful inspiring concept for my work”. Farm Cultural Park has made available to the artist its spaces in which he could enrich his research, which focuses mainly on contextual art practices in public spheres, proposing new ways of relating environment with society, exploring new aspects to redefine the borders between habitats and culture by creating interactive and sensitive interventions.
For Ivan the biggest challenge was to develop a site-specific project in only 10 days, but thanks to the support he received form the staff of Farm Cultural Park he was able to complete his work.
Ivan recommends the art residencies program offered by Arte Laguna Prize to all the artists who want to explore a different context, enriching their artistic practice and concludes by saying that: “This experience helped me to understand and gave me a broader vision, on how, through an integral artistic, cultural and educational initiative such as Farm Cultural Park, it is possible to transform a community in a positive way”.
