11/20/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/21/2024 03:17
A corner dedicated to Italian Design was recently inaugurated in Sulaymaniyah, the second largest city in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The inauguration - attended by the Consul General of Italy Michele Camerota and the President of VIM Foundation Lava Hikmat - was hosted by VIM, a dynamic and innovative organisation bringing together young local artists and promoting creative activities ranging from painting to photography, cinema and the production and translation of literary works.
The initiative was able to count on the support of the Directorate General for Country Promotion of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which accepted to send a number of books, some of which supplied by Italian Design Day partners such as ADI (Association for Industrial Design) and Compasso d'Oro, with the aim of disseminating Italian excellence in the sector. Attention was also drawn to the activities carried out by Italian archaeological missions throughout the Kurdish region, which began about two decades ago in Sulaymaniyah, with Italy now being an archaeological leader in the whole of Iraq. This is also thanks to the determined support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which confirms the importance attributed by the Italian Government to cultural diplomacy as a driving force for the promotion of the Country and for dialogue between peoples.
While thanking President Hikmat for her warm hospitality and for having enthusiastically supported the initiative, Consul Camerota also recalled the partnership with VIM on Italian Design Day. On that occasion, the Foundation's spaces hosted a series of events aimed at students and professors from local engineering and architecture faculties as well as the "Light on Made in Italy" exhibition, which registered an extraordinary success with the public. The Consul also expressed his satisfaction with the growing demand for Made in Italy in the region and emphasised the importance of the design sector as a unique testimony of Italian expertise and creativity, more and more economically relevant when it comes to Italy's exports worldwide. Lastly, in agreement with President Hikmat, both partners expressed their hope for further collaboration in the future, confirming the excellent relations of friendship between Iraqi Kurdistan and Italy and the culturally vibrant panorama characterising the city of Sulaymaniyah.