In the distant and stunning India, the locality of Ambaji, the state of Gujarat, hosted the Shilpasangam – the International Stone Sculpture Symposium between January 19 and February 7, 2023. It is the 5th symposium – from June 2022, until now – under the aegis of Shilpotsav, in a wide series of stone sculpture symposiums, but it is the first of an international scale. The term Shilpotsav is derived from the twinning of two Hindi/Sanskrit words Shilpa – meaning sculpture/work of art and Ustav – festival.
The symposium was organized by the Stone Artisan Park Training Institute S.A.P.T.I., which was established by the Office of the Commissioner of Geology and Mines, Industries and Mines, Gujarat Government Department in 2009 under the Gujarat State Mineral Policy.
This symposium is considered a major event, both for the organizers: S.A.P.T.I. Stone Artisan Park Training Institute, Gujarat State Government, and the participants in this event, that came from all corners of the world to this incredible place. They are 12 famous sculptors of the world: Carol Turner from the USA, Gyu Jo Choi and So Dong Choe from Korea, Klaus Hunsicker from Germany, Elena Saracino from Italy, Hidenori Oi and Hirosi Miyauchi from Japan, Alex Lebejof from France, Oscar Aguirre Comendador from Spain/Cuba, Vasilis Vasili from Greece, Zdravko Zdravkov from Bulgaria and last but not least Eugen Petri from Romania.
S.A.P.T.I. is a dream project of the government of the state of Gujarat that wants to capitalize on the extraordinary potential of the place (raw materials and labor force), creating a real, state industry (involving exploitation, processing and transport).
We have talked with Nitin Dutt the director of S.A.P.T.I. – Stone Artisan Park Training Institute and the curator of the International Stone Sculpture Symposium about the essentials of the event, about S.A.P.T.I. achievements, the working atmosphere at the symposium and many more.
We have also talked with Shantanu Shastry, the coordinator of the symposium, about the theme of the event, the highlights of the symposium and the plans of S.A.P.T.I.
