A new page in Dorothea Fleiss´s personal diary

A new page in Dorothea Fleiss’s personal diary
Symposium für Moderne Kunst, d. fleiss & east west artists, Mallnitz

Read by Ioana Savu-Gruiţă

“Every artists creates his own journal/diary that transposes his physical state of mind and embodies a part of his soul, constantly influenced by specific moments in life”

Dorothea Fleiss

Acting as cultural mediator and in the name of communication Dorothea Fleiss received her guests in a magnificent landscape, close to Venice, in the shadows of the Alps, in the small village of Mallnitz (Austria), and invited them to embark on a journey without borders and misperceptions.


4 to 12 October 2008.

This symposium in Mallnitz subscribes to the series of events that Dorothea Fleiss finances and coordinates for more than ten years, being one of the several cultural encounters between creators from both eastern and western Europe. Being a Romanian immigrant in Germany, Dorothea Fleiss knows how important it is to open access-gates for people coming from eastern post-communist counties toward western culture and in the same time to bring the new and original contribution of eastern artists towards the west. The main goals of this type of cultural manifestation are to establish a process of communication between people, a process encouraged and controlled by the organizer with the purpose of promoting Romanian art and in the same time to facilitate cultural exchange.

The cultural encounter in Mallnitz started from Dorothea Fleiss’s collaboration with another Romanian emigrant, Elisabeth Koch, who chose to encourage artistic manifestations by offering her hostel, the Kärntener, as home and studio for the participating creators.
I must add that this is the second edition of this symposium in Mallnitz and that their common effort in the name of art does not end here, they have another common project that will help both the artists and the community of Mallnitz, by opening a Sculpture reserve – Dream landscapes – meant to integrate the artistic productions in a circuit for tourists.
It is important to mention that a great part of the works produced during these days will stay in Mallnitz and will be used in the decoration of the Kärntener that is in fact a “house for artists”. Each room of the hotel is decorated in a different style, pertaining to a different artist. This exchange is a positive one for both sides: the artistic creations will be part of a “permanent exhibition” and in the same time the town of Mallnitz becomes associated with art and culture.
As one might deduce, this is a private initiative, financially supported by the organizers. It resembles under this respect other activities that Dorothea Fleiss promoted among which the already traditional yearly symposium in Carei or the foundation of the Museum dedicated to Ion Sălişteanu opened in 2004, in Herbin, China, where D. Fleiss & East West Artists foundation donated 50 works signed by the artist. For the latter project, which originated in the desire to promote Romanian art abroad, Dorothea Fleiss collaborated with Linhong Zhao, a Chinese living in Austria, the vice-president of the D. Fleiss & East West Artists foundation.

The participants in the Symposium für Moderne Kunst, d. fleiss & east west artists, Mallnitz, were selected according to subjective criteria. Trusting her own experience, knowledge and esthetic taste, Dorothea Fleiss selected and invited either artists that she already knew or new creators whose works she saw in galleries, in common or personal exhibitions. Due to this type of selection one may note the differences among participants, in their age, artistic orientation, technique, and level of artistic education. Mrs. Fleiss gives everyone a chance, everyone she considers artistically worthy, and that is how she managed to work in time with more than 600 artists. She followed their artistic evolution over the years and continues to help them promote their own creations.
In her events, which are numerous and spread all over the world, she tries to invite each artist once every four years so that in time they all get to know each other. Some of them are invited to become permanent members of the D. Fleiss & East West artists’ foundation. D. Fleiss works with a great number of curators and she encourages a great number of young people in their artistic path and recommends them for events, symposiums or exhibitions. One good example is Inga Endriß. Inga represents Germany, has a Degree in Science (creativity, therapy and pedagogy)
And since I presented, in few words, one of the participants I should go along this road and also present some of the others.

Heinrich Untergantshick, a sculptor from Kärnten that participates for the first time in the Mallnitz symposium.

Christine Kertz (Austria) is vice president of the Beruf der Bild.Künstler Austria/Styria, and started to paint in aquarelle, acryl, and mixed techniques since 1987.
“In painting it is very important for me to show fundamental and typical features with a few lines and colors - to motivate the observer to look and to listen to his inner life” Christine Kertz

Wuriqiefu (Mongolia) does both painting and graphic works. Since 1994 he teaches at the Huhhot University in China. He is the president of the Artists Association from Inner Mongolia. In his work he uses as inspiration traditional Mongolian elements transposing them in complex compositions.

Lyudmila Dakhova (Ukraine) has an interesting artistic universe under the influence of the Russian Art Academy of Saint Petersburg. She uses mix techniques, collage and graphic in a mosaic of colors.

Máté Rainer (Hungary) graduated the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest and works both as a painter and an art teacher.
He is member of D. Fleiss and East-West Artists since 2005. He does not like to work fast and therefore prefers oil colors. He works in cycles and during the symposium he started a new one, focusing on the female body.

Adrian Golban (Romania) graduated the sculpture department of the Ioan Andreescu Art Academy in Cluj-Napoca. He is active in the cultural life since 1990, creating public sculpture. He is the director of Aurel Popp Art High School in Satu Mare, Romania.

Vasile Tolan (Romania) graduated the painting department of the Ioan Andreescu Art Academy in Cluj-Napoca in 1975.
„I am equally concerned with the expression of raw material, the diversity of its manner of manifestation, the echo it has and the expression of free spontaneous gesture coming from the depth of the human being and from its abdominal part, as Jung would say...I guess my work belongs to the field between rough art and abstract gesturalism.” Vasile Tolan

Giuseppe Strano Spitu (Spain) is known for his performances and his installations but also for his sculptures, working in various materials like plastic, resin, glass, or wood.
“Asi es…si asi os parece” (It is thus...because it seems to be so) - Giuseppe Strano Spitu

Varsàny Pali (Hungary) followed the courses of the Architecture Academy in Budapest and the Moholy Nagy László Multimedia School, Video and Film course, Budapest. Being specialized in animation, he brought a fresh perspective in his works by using collage and mix techniques. His artistic means are minimal and every work offers something amusing or challenging.

Not only visual arts were under the spotlight in Mallnitz. For the opening of the final exhibition the present guests had the chance to listen to a classical concert performed by the soprano Carmen Vasile (Romania) accompanied by the pianist Diana Dava (Romania). Carmen Vasile is a permanent member of D. Fleiss & East West Artists foundation and she participated several times in Dorothea Fleiss’s symposiums.

Since we have started with Dorotheea Fleiss as organizer of symposiums, curator, teacher, financier, investor, founder of institutions and cultural promoter, we would like to finish this intervention with her as an artist. Dorothea Fleiss as an artist approaches different mediums like object, installation, painting or graphic, organizing her work as a personal journal. In her works one can see each state of spirit that she experiences suggested by the combination of gestures and colors.

She writes such pages with every activity that she organizes and with every work she creates she builds her own future. It is up to the reader, using his/her own cultural parameters, to receive and to decode her message.

2-te Mallnitzer

Symposium für Moderne Kunst
d. fleiss & east west artists
MALLNITZ 2008 Österreich
04- 12 OCTOBER 2008
Organized by
d. fleiss & east west artists e. V

Stuttgart Germany

Curators:

Prof. Dorothea Fleiss
Elisabeth Koch

Artists:
Lyudmila DAKHOVA, Ucraine
Dorothea FLEISS, Germany

Adrian GOLBAN, Romania

Christine KERTZ, Austria

Vahida NIMANNBEGU, Montenegro
Mathe RAINER, Hungary
Giuseppe STRANO SPITU, Spain
UNTERGANTSCHNIG Heinrich, Austria
Vasile TOLAN, ROMANIA
VARSÀNY Pali, Hungary

WURIQIEFU, Inner Mongolia
Linhong ZHAO, Austria

Special Guests:

Diana DAVA, piano, Romania
Uli ROTHFUSS, writer, Germany

Ioana SAVU, arthistorian, Romania

Carmen VASILE, sopran, Romania

Students
Inga ENDRIß, Germany
Susanna FLEISS, Germany

The festivity of the opening
In the Marjory of MALLNITZ is on
04nd October at 6.00 PM
Exhibition opening 11th October at 6.00 PM Exhibition continues from
October11th – to 25th December 2008
PARTNERS: Hotel Kärntener HOF, Mallnitz, Rathaus
http://www.kaerntnerhof-mallnitz.at/hotel.php