The stolen character

Third Far-East calligraphy exhibition promoted by
the European Confederation of Calligraphy
together with the Cultural association shodo.it

pressoffice:  www.shodo.it/press/index.html

Milan, April 16 to 26, 2008
At Salone degli Archi, Chiesa di S. Maria Incoronata
116, Corso Garibaldi
Opening hours: Mon-Sun from 12am to 9.30pm

The purpose of the cultural association shodo.it is to contribute to a more in-depth, mutual,
intercultural understanding between Europe and the Far East, in particular between Italy and Japan,
through shows, workshops, lectures on Oriental arts and, most of all, through the spreading and
practice of calligraphy.
The European Confederation of Calligraphy (CEC) operates in Europe to foster the study of
calligraphic art.


Practised in China and Japan for centuries, both to give a suitable shape to the different
requirements of written communication and as an expression of art, to the western eyes calligraphy
is the most modern of the traditional Oriental arts.
The title of the show, “The stolen character”, aims at pointing out that the old craft skills of the
“bottega dell’arte” were practised in Europe too, where the pupil watched the master working “to
learn the ropes”. At the same time the “stolen character” means that the writing sign doesn’t belong
by birth to the user’s culture.
The works, mostly by Italian and Swiss calligraphers, were displayed at the World Exhibition of
Culture and Calligraphic Art held in Seul and Beijing in 2007.
A teaching section (not included in the catalogue) shows a few examples by Chinese and Japanese
masters of the past, like the famous zen monk Nantenbô (1839-1925) and some casts of inscriptions
coming from the Beilin Museum in Xi’an (China), the “Forest of Stele” with thousands of
remarkable pieces of calligraphies engraved in stone.


Events

Friday, April 18, 6pm: Opening ceremony with the International Noh Institute, Milan, run by
Monique Arnaud: Cristina Picelli performs the shite dance from the drama Kiyotsune by Zeami.

Saturday, April 19, 6pm: lecture by Andrea Maurizi (professor of Japanese Language and Literature
at Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca): “Chinese poetry in court culture in Ancient Japan”.

Sunday, April 20:
from 11 to 12am – guided tour and demonstration. By appointment only, e-mail to
mostra(AT)shodo.it
3 pm – lecture by Bruno Riva (secretary general of European Confederation of Calligraphy):
“sho and its influence on the second half of 20th century art”.
5 pm – lecture by Carmen Covito (writer): “On brushtip: calligraphers’ images in literary
texts”.

With the support of the Consulate General of Japan in Milan and the Province of Milan

www.shodo.it