Award “Lorenzo il Magnifico”, Gold Medal, at the XIIth Edition of the Florence Biennale 2019

XIIth Florence Biennale, 2019
18 – 27 October | Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy

Raffi Yedalian who represented Lebanon and Armenia in the XIIth Edition of the Florence Biennale 2019, was awarded the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” Gold Medal, special commendation by the president, for his painting installation “Reflection of an Enigmatic Mind”, dedicated to the fifth centenary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death.

ARS ET INGENIUM: Toward Leonardo da Vinci’s Legacy of Similitude and Invention.
Marking the occasion of the fifth centenary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death in 2019, the XIIth Florence Biennale aims to stir some reflection on the cognitive and creative approach of the great master of the Renaissance who is regarded as an unsurpassed genius.

This installation aims to reflect the world of the incomparable Florentine genius known as the greatest “Renaissance Man”: the avant-garde Leonardo Da Vinci.
Da Vinci’s enigmatic mind has a tremendous impact on modern world’s way of thinking. It is his mindset that has paved the way to the discovery of numerous inventions that have helped mankind to reach today’s status.

Da Vinci’s unique wisdom has inspired the formation of this installation, in which the wholeness of this great master of the Renaissance can only be translated through the mirror. After all, the mirror has always been the key to decode Da Vinci’s power of mind, and understand his perception and infinite creativity.

Hence, the significant role of the mirror has been embraced in this installation to discover the greatest universal Italian genius, with his unsurpassed abilities. It is through the mirror that the hidden figure’s mystery can be seen, initiating to look at things from a different perspective, rationally breaking life’s barriers to strengthen the relationship with art and beauty.

As for the symbolic forms and elements in the painting, they represent Leonardo’s various aspects: artist, inventor, astronomer, architect, musician, anatomist…

On the occasion of the fifth centenary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death, this artwork comes to pay tribute to this unsurpassed master, whose imagination changed the way the world is perceived…

Raffi Yedalian