Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A series of events have been solemnly held in Ganja as part of the 2nd Fantazia Festival.

Three expositions solemnly opened at Mehseti Ganjavi Center, Trend Life reported.

At the opening ceremony, the head of the Ganja Executive Power Niyazi Bayramov, First Counselor of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Denis Daniilidis, the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Azerbaijan Onno Kervers, the Moldovan Ambassador to Azerbaijan Gheorghe Leuca and the Ambassador of Tajikistan Rustam Soli stressed that the 2nd Fantazia Festival aims at raising awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage, including the promotion of Azerbaijani architecture.

The exhibition "Nostalgia, pluralia tantum" by a famous Moldavian journalist and artist Vasile Botnaru included various series of drawings made in mixed media and dedicated to nostalgia.

Vasile Botnaru is a recognizable artist in Moldova. He began his graphic experience working with ink. Then he used coffee and wine in his paintings. Various series of works in the mixed techniques are presented at this exhibition.

His works were repeatedly presented not only by Moldovan and foreign press but also in poetry books of many Moldavian authors. Vasile Botnaru’s works were exhibited in Romania, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, China, Latvia, and Estonia. In 2016 he presented his works together with Romanian and Moldovan artists in Brussels, at the European parliament.

Through his photographs, Onno Kerves showcased Baku’s architectural heritage.

The exhibition "Baku – Black City, White City" demonstrates that the old and the new can co-exist. New and modern city can be constructed while preserving its historical architecture.

In the "Ballet and City" project Vladimir Chikin reflects on the interaction of classical art with the complicated structure of modern Megapolis and modern life.

This is an artistic experiment that transfers classical ballet from a familiar theater environment to a completely different space, which, as a result, only enhances the perfection and beauty of ballet.

A melodic voyage through Greece’s beautifully diverse music took place in the Ganja State Philharmonic Hall with participation of Aedos Popular.

The concert featured various music pieces from traditional folk tunes to the Rembetiko.

The discussion on Cultural Heritage was held in Art Garden Ganja. The Mexican documentary "Sunu" by Teresa Guerrero was screened as part of the festival.

The film tells about the difficult life of children and adolescents who, despite all the difficulties, preserve their culture and spirituality.

The guests of the festival also viewed the documentary "Cricova - the living legend of Moldova" by Oleg Butnaru.

Having become the emblem of Moldovan winemaking, the underground wine-making city of Cricova has galleries stretching for 70 km, with symbolic street names: Dionysus, Fetyaska, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.

Cellars of Cricova are located eleven kilometers from the capital of Moldova, the city of Chisinau, cut down in natural limestone, at a depth of 35-80 m.

Guests also visited the sights and architectural monuments in Ganja.

The 2nd Fantazia Festival was held in Azerbaijan on November 1-15.

The festival featured various photo exhibitions, film screenings, concerts and theater performances and master classes. This year the festival coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership.

As part of the festival, numerous art projects, debates and film screenings were held in Ganja. Moreover, the festival's guests were invited to the event dedicated to the Day of Albanian-Udinian Culture in the village of Nij, Gabala region.

The event was organized in partnership with EU Member States and countries - France, Bulgaria, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, Moldova, Mexico, Argentina, Tajikistan, Venezuela, as well as local partners, including the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture, the Main Baku City Culture Department and Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve.

The Second Fantazia Festival was sponsored by the Landmark Business Center. The festival's official partners include YARAT Contemporary Art Space, Salaam Cinema, Ganja Municipality, Albanian-Udinian Christian Community, Casa Batlo Barcelona, and AEDOS.

The festival's scientific partners were Ca' Foscari University, Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, Azerbaijan-France University (UFZ), and Ganja State University.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az and Milli.az.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz