The Canadian artist succeeds Richard Varano. Councilor Maschio: "An established figure, he will give new impetus to the exhibition".
Jesolo sand sculptures have a new artistic director. The municipal administration has commissioned David Ducharme to coordinate the work of the international artists who will create the works in Piazza Brescia. The new artistic director succeeds the American Richard Varano, who has followed the event since its inception in 1998.
David Ducharme is a Canadian-born sculptor. In the early 1990s he studied stone, metal and jewelry making at the Nelson School of Art (British Columbia). Immediately afterwards, in the same institute, he continued with his preparation also in the manufacture of ceramics. In the early 2000s he began to sculpt ice, snow and sand, improving his technique by staying in contact with professional colleagues. Working with sand has allowed him to meet many other artists and to travel the world participating in events and competitions held every year in different countries. For years he has been awarded among the best artists participating in the ice sculpture festival "High on Ice" in Fort St. John (Canada) and in 2006 he was ranked second in the world championship held in Fairbanks, Alaska. By sculpting the snow, he won first prize in numerous international competitions including the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006 . His sand sculptures have enchanted the whole world and have allowed him to obtain recognition on every continent, such as the first prize in the "solo" category at the St. Petersburg international festival (Russia) in 2013 and in the "double" category at the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Competition in Revere, Massachusetts (USA).
For years he has participated in the cultural and artistic events of Jesolo. For the twentieth edition of the Jesolo Sand Nativity, hosted in Piazza Brescia last winter, he created the work “The Last Supper” together with his colleague Susanne Ruseler, one of the most admired. He will make his debut as artistic director at the next edition of sand sculptures. This year the event, now in its 25th edition, is dedicated to the theme of contemporary art. The preparatory phase for sculpting, characterized by the compaction of the sand inside the formwork, has just been completed, allowing the start of the creation phase of the works. Ducharme wanted to present himself with a project that leaves the artist free to interpret his own idea of art through the dexterity of this fragile material such as sand. The Jesolo artists will be able to amaze with their creativity and mastery by putting their professional artistic skills to the test.
The artists will begin the sculpting phase in Piazza Brescia on April 20th, concluding it on May 3rd. The exhibition will therefore be open to visitors from 7 May until 24 September. The exhibition will consist of five works: "The circle of life" created by Susanne Ruseler (Netherlands) and David Ducharme (Canada), "Focus" by Radovan Zivney (Czech Republic), "The modern Valkyrie" sculpted by Sue McGrew (United States), “The Rap Battle of the Centaur” by Dmitrii Klimenko (Russia). The fifth work will be revealed shortly.
"The arrival of David Ducharme as artistic director of this event, which is always very popular, opens up new perspectives for sand sculptures – declared the tourism councilor of the City of Jesolo, Alberto Maschio –. We are grateful to Richard Varano for the immense work he has done in all these years and his name will always remain linked to the history of this event, but more generally to Jesolo. We welcome Ducharme with great enthusiasm, confident that his vision of art and the work of artists will give new impetus to a consolidated project, ready for innovation and a further leap in quality".
"It is with great honor and a feeling of gratitude that I assume the role of new artistic director for the famous sand sculptures of Jesolo. Richard Varano's absence will be felt because in recent years he has offered many sculptors the opportunity to create some of their best works, thus contributing to forging the Jesolo sand brand and making it known throughout the world – added the new artistic director, David Ducharme -. I look forward to this new challenge and moment of personal growth, embracing the collaboration with the Municipality of Jesolo which has managed to bring the sand sculptures to international recognition. This summer exhibition aims to show each sculptor in his creative freedom, giving space to his natural strength and exploring his unique forms of expression. I wish to offer the public a glimpse into the potential of sand as a sculptural medium, as well as how artworks are accessible and reflect each and every sculptor. The participating group is made up of full-time artists with many years of experience creating a life out of sand".
