Duane Bahia Benatti, talijansko/brazilski umjetnik koji nam je došao iz Leipziga. Sugovornike lako oduševi svojim respektabilnim iskustvom i znanjem koje želi podijeliti s drugima.
Read the text in English
Ime: Duane Bahia Benatti
Odakle si?
Rođen sam u Sao Lourencu u Brazilu 1983. Od tada sam se preselio u mnoge gradove uključujući Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Milano i Porto. Bazirao sam se zadnjih deset godina u Leipzigu u Njemačkoj.
Koliko dugo se baviš izradom keramike?
Ukupno imam oko pet godina iskustva. Imao sam dvije godine obuke tijekom prvostupnika u Sao Paulu (2007. i 2008.), dvije godine tijekom magisterija likovnih umjetnosti u Halleu (2017. i 2018.) i jednu godinu u Leipzigu.
Možeš li u nekoliko rečenica opisati svoje najveće postignuće do sada u radu s keramikom?
Smatram da je moj najveći uspjeh spoj keramike i tinjca. Istraživanje ove kombinacije omogućilo mi je da razvijem recept za glazuru i otvorim više načina rada. Moje su skulpture bile prikazane na izložbama kao što su Međunarodni trijenale keramike u Narodnom muzeju u Ljubljani i Handwerkermesse u Njemačkoj, u Münchenu. Također sam bio primatelj stipendije “Artist in Residence Program” od British Council of Arts, u Hamburgu.
Zašto si odlučio doći na rezidenciju u Petrinju?
Kad sam vidio GRAK-ovo izlaganje na Zoom konferenciji u organizaciji Culture Moves Europe, bio sam dirnut tragedijom koja je pogodila Petrinju i naporima oko osnivanja Studija keramike. Cijela ideja prijedloga me fascinirala.
Raditi na mjestu s takvim jedinstvenim karakteristikama vrlo je inspirativno. Vjerujem da ovdje imate veliku priliku, rekonstruirati grad i oživjeti njegovu tradiciju keramike.
Kako izgleda tvoj uobičajeni radni život u rezidenciji?
Za početak sam eksperimentirao s materijalima dostupnim u studiju. Nakon toga sam se mogao usredotočiti na svoje pojedinačne projekte, kao i idealizirati prijedlog radionice, koji će održati od sljedećeg tjedna (10. lipnja). Također rado dijelim znanje koje sam stekao kao asistent-istraživač tijekom magistarskog studija, organizirajući studij, testirajući glazure itd. Nadam se da će keramičari koji rade u studiju imati priliku doći u dodir s više materijala i tehnika, i tako obogate svoje prakse.
Imaš li neki cilj koji želiš ostvariti tijekom ove rezidencije?
Nadam se da mogu podijeliti metodologiju rada s lokalnim keramičarima, tako da upoznaju neke alate za razvoj svoje osobne umjetničke prakse, kao i da smjeste svoj rad u
profesionalnom i međunarodnom kontekstu. Također želim napraviti popis otvorenih poziva i događanja vezanih uz keramiku.
Bio si na FLIK festivalu. Je li festival ispunio vaša očekivanja?
Nisam imao velika očekivanja jer mi je festival bio nepoznat. Bilo je to veliko iznenađenje i razveselilo me druženje s ljudima različitih generacija i porijekla.
Jesi li zadovoljan onim što ti nude keramički studio i udruga GRAK?
Da, zbog velike količine posla bilo je nekih izazovnih situacija, nakon što su neki problemi podijeljeni s organizatorima, oni su mi brzo dali rješenja.
Jesi li upoznao neke lokalne ljude?
Jesam, kao i ljude iz Zagreba i Siska. Tijekom FLIK festivala sudjelovao sam na radionici keramičarke Pamele Ivanković. Radio sam s Nenom i njezinom unukom Vanjom. Bio sam sretan kada sam prošlog tjedna ponovno sreo Nenu u studiju. Upoznao sam i jedan par koji me odvezao do njihove farme koja se nalazi u blizini epicentra potresa.
Kako ti se sviđa novi život u Petrinji?
Vrlo je mirno i zabavljam se svaki vikend. Idem se kupati na Kupu i igrati odbojku na pijesku s imigrantima iz Nepala. Petrinja ima puno zeleniog područja i za nekoga tko živi u industrijskoj, sivoj zemlji kao što je Njemačka, ovo je čista kvaliteta života.
Što je za tebe najbolje?
Ljudi, organizatori i keramičari povezani sa studijem.
Što ti je malo čudno/neobično?
Uništene zgrade znaju gušiti, ponekad izgledaju kao dio ratne kulise. A zbog rekonstrukcije grada ima puno bučnih radnih strojeva.
Gdje želiš otići nakon ove umjetničke rezidencije?
Vratit ću se u Njemačku. Možda ću od listopada provesti nekoliko mjeseci u Brazilu ili se čak preseliti tamo za stalno, još je neizvjesno. Nedostaje mi obitelj i pozvan sam
voditi umjetnički rezidencijalni program u regiji u kojoj sam rođen. Mogao bih ondje organizirati keramički studio i također promovirati aktivnosti na području tekstilne umjetnosti i slikarstva.
Where are you from? Where have you lived until now?
I was born in Sao Lourenco, Brazil in 1983. Since then I have moved to a lot of cities including Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Milan and Porto. I have been based for the last ten
years in Leipzig, Germany.
How long have you been making ceramics?
In total I have approximately five years experience. I had two years training during the bachelor degree in Sao Paulo (2007 and 2008), two years during the Master of Fine Arts
in Halle (2017 and 2018) and one year in Leipzig.
Can you describe in a few sentences your biggest achievement so far in working with
ceramics?
I believe that my biggest achievement was combining ceramics and mica. Exploring this combination allowed me to develop a glaze recipe and open multiple ways to work. My sculptures were shown in exhibitions such as the International Ceramics Triennial at National Museum in Ljubljana and the International Craft Fair (Handwerkermesse, in
German), in Munique. I also was the recipient of the grant “Artist in Residence Program” from the British Council of Arts, in Hamburg.
Why did you decide to come to the residency in Petrinja?
When I saw GRAK’s presentation in the Zoom conference organized by Culture Moves Europe I was touched by the tragedy that affected Petrinja and by the effort in establishing the Ceramics Studio. The whole idea of the proposal fascinated me.
Working in a place with such unique characteristics is very inspiring. I believe that you have a great chance here to either reconstruct the city and revive its tradition with the
ceramics.
What does your usual working life at the residence look like?
To start, I have experimented with the materials available in the studio. Then I was able to focus on my individual projects, as well as to idealize a workshop proposal, which will
take place from next week (June 10th). I am also happy to share the knowledge that I acquired as assistant researcher during the Master program, by organizing the studio,
testing glazes, etc. I hope that the ceramists who work in the studio have the opportunity to get in touch with more materials and techniques, in other for them to enrich their
practice.
Do you have a goal that you want to achieve during this residency?
I hope I can share work methodologies with local ceramists, so they get to know some tools to develop their personal artistic practice, as well as to insert their work in the
professional and international context. I also want to create a list of open calls and events related to ceramics.
You were at the FLIK festival. Did the festival meet your expectations?
I hadn't had great expectations of it, because the festival was unknown to me. It was a great surprise and it made me happy to interact with people from different generations
and backgrounds.
Are you satisfied with what the ceramic studio and GRAK association offers you?
Yes, due to the big amount of work there were some challenging situations, once some issues were shared with the organizers they then quickly provided me with solutions.
Did you meet any local people?
Yes I did, as well people from Zagreb and Sisak. During the FLIK Festival I took part in a workshop offered by the ceramist Pamela Ivanković. I worked with Nena and her granddaughter
Vania. I was happy to meet Nena once again in the studio last week. I also met a couple and they drove me to their farm which is located near the epicenter of the earthquake.
How do you like your new life in Petrinja?
It’s very calm and I am having fun every weekend. I go swimming in the Kupa river as well as playing beach volleyball with immigrants from Nepal. Petrinja has a lot of green
areas and for someone living in an industrial, gray country such as Germany, this is pure life quality.
What is the best for you?
The people, the organizers and the ceramists associated with the studio.
What is a bit strange/unusual to you?
The destroyed buildings can be choking, sometimes they look like part of the scenery of a war. And because of the reconstruction of the city there are a lot of noisy machines
working.
Where do you want to go after residency?
I will go back to Germany. I might spend some months in Brazil from October on, or even move back there permanently, it’s still uncertain. I miss my family and I was invited to
manage an art residency program in the region where I was born. I might implement a ceramic studio there and also promote activities in the fields of textile art and painting.
Will you come to Petrinja again?
Absolutely. I take part in a research group led by an archeologist and researcher from Portugal based in Japan. I will hold a virtual presentation for the group in September. In
the case that my return to Petrinja takes some time, I am sure that some friends and colleagues will get in touch with the studio soon. I also intend to keep in touch with the
participants of my workshop as well with the lovely friends I met here. The two-month residency will soon come to an end, but this is just the beginning of my experience here.
We are establishing a great network, exchanges and also collaborations.
