On 20 November, which was the second day of the five-day mosaic of culture held at the Madlena Art Palace, the International ArtZept was awarded for 19th time. This is one of the most renowned awards which has been awarded for almost two decades hoisting design to the pedestal of art and glorifying creativity and innovation through different thematic requirements. When it comes to this year’s setting, the idea was aimed towards designing the dome, its solemn and powerful esthetics, which is why the title of the competition – Sublimity & Power – presents no surprise. In their designs, the designers took into account the appearance and dimensions of the dome of the Madlena Art Palace, as the topic of the competition was the project of adorning the dome with a letter Z.
The award presentation ceremony was organized at the Grand Gallery of the Madlena Art Palace. At the very beginning, video material was presented showing visual solutions of all registered participants. Following this, the guests were welcomed by Mrs Gordana ‒ Biba Marković, arts director and member of the ArtZept award panel. According to her, in the course of years, ArtZept grew into an event founded on synergies of new trends in design and use value of everyday objects. Beside this, the competition is the springboard for emerging talents.
The decision on the winner and other awarded participants was passed by members of the international panel each of whom had a great deal of experience and an exceptionally respectable career. The panel comprised: Carla Tolomeo (Italy), internationally renowned artist, painter, and designer in the capacity of the panel chairwoman; Kosta Krsmanović (Serbia), professor at the Faculty of applied arts; Andras Res (Hungary), film theoretician; Attilio Impronta (Italy), businessman and arts patron; and Gordana ‒ Biba Marković (Serbia), art historian and specialist in theory and applied art reviews. The winning design was the one by architect Arseni Kruhlik from Vienna; the second award was presented to Serbian architect and professor Bojan Tepavčević, while the third award was shared between Mohamed Hosni, architect from Egypt, and Huda Gharandouka, architect from Jordan.
The evening continued with the concert of classical music entitled “In celebration of Puccini” (on the occasion of the 100th anniversary from the death of composer Giacomo Puccini), performed by eminent opera singers: Jasmina Trumbetaš Petrović, Snežana Savičić Sekulić, and Siniša Radin. The programme of the concert included some of the most beautiful arias from Puccini’s famous operas: La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot, Madam Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, and others
