5th Month of Culture

Martiros Sarian is one of the most widely known Armenian painters of the 20th century and the founder of the modern Armenian school of painting. He lived between 1880 and 1972, and he studied at the Moscow College of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. His masters, such as Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin, were among the most famous Russian painters of the time, and played a crucial role in the development of Sarian’s professional skills. He was also influenced by the work of Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse, and as he has exclaimed "Color is a genuine miracle. In combination with sunlight, it expresses the spirit of object's shape and the essence of universal existence". Sarian's painting style was characterized by bright, saturated colors representing a new aesthetic perception. This perception combined the imitation of the reality with the free imagination and abstraction. At the same time, Sarian painted simple natural shapes and nature rested his main mentor. Moreover, he united artistic traditions of the East with new trends of the 20th century European painting. Martiros Sarian participated in many exhibitions, such as the Blue Rose Exhibition, and was awarded lots of prizes, such as the State Prize for designing the Almast opera by Alexander Spendiarov.

Shuba or ‘’Herring under a fur coat’’ (Russian: Селёдка под шубой) is a traditional Russian salad, which consists of three distinctive layers: salted herring, potatoes and beets. However, Shuba often has more than three layers, mostly consisting of apples, onions, carrots or hard-boiled eggs. It is generally believed that this delicious salad was created by Anastas Bogomilov, a tavern owner, at the beginning of the 20th century. The red color of the beets symbolizes the red flag, and potatoes symbolize the staple food of peasants and workers. Today, Shuba is usually cooked for Russian New Year celebrations.

Torta Garash (Bulgarian: Торта Гараш) is a palatable cake and one of the most famous desserts in Bulgaria. It consists of five delicate walnut sponges layered with dark chocolate. The whole cake is then covered in a glistening chocolate icing or creamy ganache, and it is decorated with walnuts, desiccated coconut, sliced almonds or chocolate ornaments. Torta Garash was created by Kosta Garash, an Austro-Hungarian confectioner. In 1885, he was working at a lavish hotel in the city of Ruse, where he first served the cake. Later, Garash went to Sofia and this impressive cake soon became a popular Bulgarian dessert. Nowadays, Torta Garash is part of the menus of numerous pâtisseries and restaurants all over the country.

The first edition of the Black Sea CONNECT Art Fair “Healing the Black Sea by Art” has been launched! This virtual exhibition is organized by The Black Sea Universities Network and has been initiated as an activity under the frame of Black Sea CONNECT Project, Task 4.2 - Black Sea Awareness & Outreach, ‘’aiming to create an exhibition dedicated to the problems of the Black Sea’’. As we read the concept note of the Art Fair, we can join a virtual showroom of exhibits (painting/ photography/ construction with materials consisted from marine litter) with recorded presentations or text descriptions, ‘’where the language of visual arts can generate synergies for promoting the protection of the Black Sea’’. Moreover, the event has the objective to promote young artists from the countries of the Black Sea region and to boost intercultural relations.

Shekerbura (Azerbaijani: şəkərbura) is a sweet pastry and one of the most popular desserts in Azerbaijan. The tender pastry shell is made with butter-based dough, which is then filled with a sweet nut filling (ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts). Shekerbura is famous for its trimming shell. It is intricately decorated with different geometrical shapes, transforming this sweet delicacy into a really impressive dessert. In cases when Shekerbura is not decorated in this way, it is usually dusted with powdered sugar. Furthermore, it is always made in a crescent form, strongly resembling the moon, and is traditionally served during Novruz, an annual celebration welcoming spring and the renewal of nature. This sweet pastry can be served freshly baked, warm or cooled.

Trabzon International Black Sea Theatre Festival organized by Turkish State Theaters-The National Theater of Turkey is a 20-day and non-competitive festival which aims at being a bridge between Western and Eastern cultures. Its purpose is both to establish future cooperation between Turkish State Theaters, theatre companies from Black Sea region and all over the world, and to highlight that there is no discrimination of religion, language or race in art. In 2000, the first edition of the “Festival of the Black Sea Countries” was held and it was initially attended by 6 countries. However, the number of participating countries has increased. In 2006, its title changed to “Black Sea Theatre Festival” and states that are not located in the Black Sea region were also invited to the event. Besides the performances of distinguished theatre companies (to date, 187 different productions), world renowned directors and playwrights have participated to workshops, seminars and interviews. The 22nd annual Trabzon International Black Sea Theater Festival will take place from 5 to 25 May 2022 and it will present a wide variety of art genres, such as theatre, dance and street performances.

As part of the celebration for the 200 years (1821-2021) since the beginning of the Greek Revolution, the Benaki Museum and the Anthony E. Comninos Foundation present the exhibition “Treasures of Philhellenic Art” with works from the important collection of the Foundation. The collection includes paintings of exceptional quality executed by renowned 19th -century European artists, such as Ludovico Lipparini, Pierre Bonirote, Edward Lear and Carl A.J. Rottmann. The works display the whole range of the philhellenic repertoire, while they are also unpublished and exhibited for the first time. The exhibition will continue until January 9, 2022 and its admission is free.

This year, Russians and bibliophiles all around the world celebrate the 200th anniversary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birth (November 11, 1821). Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) is the most influential novelist of 19th century Russian literature and one of the greatest writers of all time. He was born in Moscow and was introduced in literature at an early age through a wide variety of books by Russian and foreign authors. After finishing school, he was admitted to the Military Engineering Academy in St Petersburg and conceived the novel ‘’Poor folk’’. Dostoevsky made forceful contributions to a wide range of philosophical and religious issues exploring human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia. His novella ‘’Notes from Underground’’ (1864) is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature. His literary works consists of 12 novels, 4 novellas, more than a dozen short stories, and reams of non-fiction, journalism and other prose. He was also a publisher. Fyodor Dostoevsky’s most famous novels include ‘’Crime and Punishment’’, ‘’The Idiot’’, ‘’Demons’’ and ‘’The Brothers Karamazov’’.

Tirana Art Lab – Center for Contemporary Art is a contemporary art institution. In 2010, it was founded on the initiative of Adela Demetja, who has organized a lot of international exhibitions in many European countries. The aim of TAL is to promote new artists from Albania as well as from Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe, and to boost projects critically engaged with artistic, cultural and social issues. A wide variety of events take place, such as exhibitions, film festivals, workshops and concerts. Moreover, TAL is the first Albanian institution collaborating with ‘’Institut national d’histoire de l’art’’ in Paris, and the first art and cultural organization in Albania supported, in the framework of an international partnership project (Heroes We Love), by the Creative Europe Programme. The Laboratory consists of an exhibition space, a space for artists in residence and an open public library of contemporary art books.