Event details
Start: 11/06/2025
End: 15/09/2025
Location: Chiesa degli Artisti, Piazza del Popolo, Roma.
AWARD MOTIVATION
It was the year 2009 when the Morani family, led by Marina Tagle in Morani and the undersigned Flavio Morani, wanted to bring to life the first edition of the Prize dedicated to Volturno Morani (1932–2004), five years after the passing of the FOUNDER OF SPATIAL NEO-CONSTRUCTIVISM, which occurred on November 3, 2004. The Prize was held in the evocative setting of the Castello dei Pico in Mirandola (MO), a few minutes from the small town of San Prospero, the master’s last home.
The prize was intended to be biennial, but the 2012 earthquake in the ‘lower Modena area’, the economic crisis and then the health crisis made its renewal impossible until 2024, the year in which, at the peak of a series of important events and exhibitions between Tuscany, Lazio, Emilia Romagna, and Lombardy, the MORANI ART GALLERY finally saw the light, an art gallery located in the premises of the CASA BLU DI VOLTURNO MORANI in San Prospero.
And so we arrive at 2025, a year full of commemorations and anniversaries.
In Rome, for the Catholic Church, it is a Jubilee year. 2025 also marks three important anniversaries, all related to 1965, the year when Spatial Neo-Constructivism was born.
It is the year of the marriage between Volturno, founder of Spatial Neo-Constructivism, and Marina, the creation of the works TIME AND SPACE and TIME AND SPACE M.
It is the year when the Second Vatican Council concluded and the contemporary alleged Marian apparitions at Garabandal in Spain occurred.
The superpowers were competing in the space race.
This edition of the award aims to contribute to the research and in-depth analysis of these events that marked 1965, on the occasion of their 60th anniversary.
The presented award will therefore have a scientific and theological research character and will be strongly focused on spirituality.
The universality of the themes addressed makes it necessary to open the doors to artistic sensibilities of all ages and nations. For this reason, unlike the first edition which was aimed at young people, this new call for the international VOLTURNO MORANI prize will be open to artists from all over the world, regardless of their age and academic background.
CENTRAL TO THIS EDITION of the award is the role of Love and its influence on projecting our spirit, our soul, on a physical/quantum level toward the infinite universe.
“Love is not something we (humans) invented, it’s measurable, it’s powerful… it’s a relic of another dimension that we cannot consciously perceive… Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends time and space… maybe we should trust it even if we can’t understand it yet.” (from the film Interstellar) Science and faith united by the variable of love — this short but powerful statement encapsulates the entire artistic exploration of this award.
Love of a wife for her husband and vice versa, which unleashes a man’s artistic talent.
A man’s love for God the Creator, manifested in faith in Christ.
The love that connects human life, supernatural events to other cosmic dimensions and to eternity.
THE COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT (Third Edition, 2025)
SCHOOL OF SPATIAL NEO-CONSTRUCTIVISM.
Twenty years after the beginning of the soul’s journey into the cosmos of Master Morani, it is time to establish a SCHOOL OF ARTISTS of SPATIAL NEO-CONSTRUCTIVISM.
The innovations of quantum physics, the exploration of the Universe and the stars, the spiritual awakening of humanity, call for the birth of a lay artistic apostolate to investigate the relationship between cosmos, spirit, creation, and humanity.
For this reason, the prize invites participants to be inspired by the chromatic, iconographic, symbolic, and geometric principles of Spatial Neo-Constructivism.
PROPOSED THEME: THE FIFTH DIMENSION
Love as a binder between man and cosmos. Scientific innovations, particularly in quantum physics, regarding the spirit-matter relationship open new spaces for research, guiding each life toward eternity, the Fifth Dimension.
Love linking the four known dimensions of time and space with the multidimensional universe projects us toward the infinite/eternal.
With feet on the ground and mind in the stars, the first space-time compositions were born, in various shades of blue.
In the 1960s, my pictorial world unfolded into a narrative of images, in which structures of archetypes and color were protagonists of a vision foreshadowing scientific realities. Already in 1965 in Milan, my new figuration, aiming to fix a structured image in a multidimensional space, clashed with other trends in contemporary art and compared itself with white canvases, cuts, and holes, reinforcing even more my search for yet-unknown dimensions made of pure color: I knew that not everything had already been said in painting or in any other field of knowledge; science investigates, art creates and anticipates.
By the end of the 1970s, a second color (often red) began to appear in my works; this presence was motivated by the latest research into compositions hidden in the new dimension offered by antimatter: THE FIFTH DIMENSION. The existence of new universes and new spaces, in which I believe, is expressed and highlighted in my latest works, in which the parallel search for a divine dimension becomes apparent.
PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
- a) All painters of any nationality or religious affiliation may participate. Each artist may submit one artwork on the proposed theme, executed using whatever technique they prefer. All submitted works must (under penalty of exclusion from the Competition) be of the following dimensions: 100×100 cm, or 120 cm (height) x 80 cm (width).
- b) No later than September 15, 2025, participating artists must submit high-resolution photos of their artwork, accompanied by a brief written statement including: title of the work, year of execution, technique used, actual dimensions, insured value of the work; along with a brief explanation of the topic addressed (10–15 lines), a short biography (in Italian/English), and a curriculum detailing their artistic activities, to the following email address: info@volturnomorani.it
- c) To participate, send an email to info@volturnomorani.it
From all the submitted works, the organization will, at its sole discretion, select ten proposals. Selected artists will be notified by email no later than October 1, 2025. The selected works, properly packaged and at the sender’s risk, must be delivered to the EXHIBITION VENUE – ROME between October 10 and October 19.
A catalog featuring images of all selected works will be created, and an exhibition will be held in the evocative setting of the CHURCH OF THE ARTISTS in Piazza del Popolo, Rome, as part of the ROMA ART WEEK from October 20 to 25, 2025, with the opening on October 20, 2025 – and the award ceremony on October 25, 2025.
During the exhibition week, further events will be held to explore Spatial Neo-Constructivism.
AWARDS
A €2,000 acquisition prize is planned. The prize will be awarded in a solemn ceremony during the exhibition on October 25, 2025, where, in addition to the Technical Jury’s decision, the opinions expressed by the popular vote will also be considered.
The winning artwork will remain on permanent display at the Morani Art Gallery in San Prospero sulla Secchia (MO), in the COSMOS HALL.
For more information, write to:
info@volturnomorani.it
or contact the Facebook and Instagram pages:
Casa BLU di Volturno Morani – Volturno Morani.
