Luciano Benetton art exhibit to showcase work of P.E.I. artists

Ten Island artists will be part of a worldwide art project launched by Italian clothing magnate Luciano Benetton.

For the last three years, Benetton has been collecting small 10 centimetre by 12 centimetre canvases from dozens of countries during his travels around the world.

The worldwide project is called Imago Mundi.

An exhibition of Eastern Canadian works is expected in Italy next year, and there could be a Canadian show as well.

The show's Toronto-based curator initially thought only one P.E.I. artist would be included, but thenFrancescaValentevisited the Island. Herperception of P.E.I. being at the "margins of Eastern Canada" changed.

"I discovered that it is very far from being marginal. So I went to Charlottetown, the capital, and I spent three intense days meeting and talking to a number of artists of different disciplines and generations," she said.

The P.E.I. artists exhibiting include Brian Burke, Judith Scherer, Hans Wendt and Norma Jean MacLean.

Valente hopes to announce the locations of the exhibits in the next month or so.