Event: “Turismo alle Radici: Italy Embraces Japan”

Artistic performance involving the joint creation of a work of art by the Japanese Master Nakajima Hiroyuki and the Sicilian Master Domenico Boscia, who will combine the art of Japanese calligraphy with the art of Sicilian ceramics. Their desire to find artistic harmony live on stage at Villaggio Italia represents the mutual respect and the will to collaborate between these two peoples.
This performance is dedicated to promoting “Turismo delle Radici” (Roots Tourism), organized by Il Made in Sicily in collaboration with ENIT.

This event revolves around the Book of Roots, a book created in 2023 that collects signatures and works of art and testifies to the importance that roots have for Italians.
The roots of Italy are also our ability to dialogue and respect for the cultures of the world, to which Vespucci addresses herself in this world tour.
This event represents a true cultural embrace between two distant and different worlds, Italy and Japan, which find in the art of two artists with different histories and backgrounds, but deeply rooted in their mutual cultures, a moment of contact in the name of roots and tradition. Nakajima Hiroyuki is a calligraphy expert who practices Tai Chi. Domenico Boscia is an expert in Italian ceramic art. The artists will create an artistic creation together on the stage of the Vespucci Tour.

Their desire to find a living artistic understanding in the context of the Villaggio Italia, represents the mutual respect and desire for collaboration of these two peoples.

The project under the aegis of ENIT is curated by Giovanni Callea and Davide Morici, (plus thirty-nine) who with the projects IlMadeinItaly and IlMadeinSicily (www.ilmadeinsicily.it) tell and promote Italian and Sicilian culture in the world.

NAKAJIMA HIROYUKI
(www.nakajimahiroyuki.com)
Born in Japan in 1956, Nakajima began learning Japanese calligraphy when just six years old. He continued to practice it even after enrolling at university, where he studied Industrial Engineering with a focus on Architectonics as a postgraduate student at Chiba University.
Calligraphy is a traditional art form that is highly developed in Japan, but Nakajima gradually saw the potential to take his calligraphy beyond pure tradition. In his 30’s, he began to create contemporary artworks based on his deep knowledge of Japanese calligraphy. In 2000, he held a private exhibition at Studio Soligo in Rome, which was his first exhibition in Europe. At the same time, he began to do live-action performances on large pieces of paper. His physical performance is influenced by Tai Chi, which he has been learning since his 20’s. Since the year 2000, Nakajima has continued to hold exhibitions and performances in Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Belgium, the U.K., the U.S., China and Japan. In 2006, he was invited to the 60th Avignon Festival, an international stage art festival in France. In 2008, he set up a new studio in Milan, Italy. Since then, he has been living between Japan and Europe. His activity has been covered in international publications such as LE FIGARO in France and CORRIERE DELLA SERA in Italy.

DOMENICO BOSCIA
(https://www.ilmadeinsicily.it/domenico-boscia-quando-la-ceramica-diventa-arte/)
Born in Italy in 1969, painter, sculptor, ceramist, trainer, who works from Sicily with collaborations in Italy and abroad.
He lives and works in Sicily in one of the reference areas of ceramics, in Santo Stefano di Camastra and his work is strongly linked to Sicily and the traditional ceramics of Santo Stefano di Camastra, his skills, interests and artistic techniques have led him to explore, study and apply all the Italian techniques, with forays also into international ceramics including the Raku technique, the Zen-inspired technique that leaves room for the material and its imperfections.
His activity is divided between training: he is a teacher of Ceramic Design and Artistic Decoration at the Art School of Santo Stefano di Camastra and artistic activity around the world.
Many personal exhibitions in Sicily: Messina, Cefalù, Agrigento, Syracuse and in Italy, Castelvecchio in Verona, Brovolone. And abroad, his works have been exhibited in Budapest.
Commissioned by Il Made in Sicily, he created a ceramic plate for the Vespucci World Tour, donated to the Commander of the Vespucci Giuseppe Lai, to the Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles Raffaella Valentini, to Marianna Gatto, director of the Museo degli Italiani di Los Angeles (IAMLA) and to the Deputy Minister Valentino Valentini.