The number of secular funerals is on the rise, and so is the number of Italians who would like to have a ceremony devoid of religious rites, which would be held in dignified venues distributed throughout the country. Everyone should have the right to a secular funeral, which should take place in a suitable and comfortable environment. To raise awareness regarding the issue, the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (Uaar) established the UAART Prize. Such a prize is open to all forms of visual arts, with the ultimate objective being that of constructing a secular imaginary related to the representation of mourning and death.
The 2024 edition witnessed over 280 submitted entries, which were selected by a professional jury comprising: Elena Alfonsi, art critic and cultural thanatologist; Rebecca Delmenico, art critic and curator, Andrea Lacarpia, curator and director of ‘Candy Snake Gallery’; and Mosè Viero, art historian and author of the column “Art and Reason” within the magazine of the association ‘Nessun Dogma’.
The justly has selected seven finalists: Pietro Bandini, Silvio Giannini, Gloria Gisella, Guido Mitidieri, Gianni Morino, Salvatore Piras, and Giacomo Zornetta.
Among the finalist works – which are published at www.uaar.it/premio-uaart-finalisti-2024/ – the winning piece will be selected. The winner will receive a prize that amounts to 3,000 euros. Moreover, the designated work – which will be acquired by Uaar – will be donated to a public farewell hall, where it will remain for public display. The announcement of the winner, as well as the acquisition of the piece will occur within an event that will be organized by the Uaar by the end of 2024.
The committee has examined all of the works that were submitted, and subsequently assessed them considering the destination of the artwork donation, which is ultimately and intrinsically linked to the theme exemplified by the prize: the farewell hall. What characteristics might the ideal piece possess within such a defined context? What are the expectations of individuals who visit these spaces, and what would the nature and meaning of the dialogue with the artwork be? Moreover, the experts have evaluated the originality of the proposed pieces, the quality of the works under technical and conceptual points of view, as well as the accompanying texts provided by the participants, aimed at deepening the meaning of their research.
«Too often – states Roberto Grendene, secretary of the Uaar – the already scarce public spaces available for civil funerals are inadequate, sometimes being merely repurposed neglected venues. With this initiative, Uaar aims to bring about a change, as well as raising awareness among institutions regarding the importance of respect for non-believers, their memory, and those who mourn their loss».
«We are satisfied by the traction received by this first edition of the UAART Prize – comments Enrica Berselli, events coordinator at Uaar – Many individuals have chosen to engage with a quite challenging theme, ultimately offering their unique perspective on a moment that is part of everyone’s life, thereby enriching the shared heritage of different visions and reflections which stem from the ideas of mourning and death».
Press Release
The Jury
- Elena Alfonsi holds a degree in Art History and Art Criticism, and since 1992 has been writing as an art critic. Alfonsi is a cultural thanatologist who graduated from the multidisciplinary master’s program in Studi sulla morte e sul morire per l’intervento di sostegno e per l’accompagnamento (Studies on Death and Dying for support and accompaniment interventions) in Padova. Alfonsi also attended the prestigious advanced training course in L’assistenza psicologica di base nelle situazioni di lutto naturale o traumatico (Basic Psychological Support in Natural or Traumatic Mourning Situations) at the Institute of Thanatology and Psychological Medicine in Bologna. Since 2017, Alfonsi has been organizing a mourning-themed cultural event in the Italian province of Mantova, titled Alla fine dei conti. Alfonsi is also an author of a children’s book – illustrated by Gabriele Buratti, titled Croki. Una cornacchia in villa (Croki. A Crow in the Villa). Alfonsi writes for the digital news outlet ReWriters, which was founded by Eugenia Romanelli.
- Rebecca Delmenico is an art critic and curator whose interest focuses in contemporary sculpture and painting, with a keen eye on the new international photography movement. Delmenico has curated exhibitions and monographs of various contemporary artists, including a recent monograph on Sandy Skoglund which was published by Silvana Edutoriale. Delmenico collaborated with galleries, as well as private and public museums, and writes as a journalist specializing in contemporary photography for various publications.
- Andrea Lacarpia was born in Milan in 1982. Lacarpia is an art curator and director of Candy Snake Gallery, a Milan-based gallery founded in 2021 which is dedicated to promoting emerging art. Lacarpia’ s journey with art began with his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts and continued with curatorial activities through collaborations with both private and public galleries and spaces. Lacarpia has written various articles for his blog, Cerchio Magazine, and Artibune. Lacarpia has collaborated with NEXST, a festival which is dedicated to independent projects in Turin and worked with the Arrivada gallery since 2021. Lacarpia has also founded and directed the Dimora Artica project space and has been the artistic director of Edicola Radetzky.
- Mosè Viero was born in the province of Vicenza in 1977 and has been living in Venice since 2009. Viero studied Cultural Heritage Conservation at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, specializing in Art History and Conservation of Artistic Heritage. In 2003, Viero became a licensed tour guide for the province of Vicenza, and the Venetian Villas and, in 2009, Viero obtained the same license for the city of Venice. Vireo’s primary occupation is that of being a licensed tour guide in Venice. However, since 2020, Viero has also been a content creator for a small YouTube channel dedicated to board games and video games. Viero is a member of the Uaar and has been curating the Art and Reason column in the magazine Nessun Dogma – which is the Uaar’s magazine – since its first issue.