Momenti

by Tina Biello

Momenti is a collection of poems inspired by her cousin Loreta Giannetti's watercolours of their ancestral village: Casacalenda on the south-east coast of Italy. Their collaborative exhibition, Acquerelli e poesie di Kalena, showcased at the Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre March 27 to April 9, 2010.

The poems are rich with the dialect from Casacalenda. Using an iPod Shuffle, museum-goers were able to hear the poems in Molise dialect and in English. The closing gala featured live music with original compositions to Tina's poetry. The compositions have now become a CD of 8 songs called 'Dolci Momenti', by Annette Coffin and Marguerite Thorne. There is an exhibition featuring painting, poetry and song planned for Pier 21 in Halifax for 2012 and Italy 2013.

Tina Biello was born in Lake Cowichan B.C., the child of immigrants from Casacalenda. One of four Italian families in this small logging town, Tina grew up very aware of her lineage and her roots.

Her poems have appeared in chapbooks edited by Patrick Lane. Tina also has a long background in theatre as an actor, playwright and performer. She teaches Commedia dell’Arte and has written a children’s play about Autism called The Indigo Kids.

Cover Image: Loreta Giannetti: Veduta sulla valle (2008). Watercolour on Arches paper 140 lb 8.5 x 12 inches. Ms. Giannetti's work is represented at Galerie Cactus—9artistes9.

Momenti was shortlisted for the Bressani Prize at the Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre.

Links:

Exhibition Program
Italian Cultural Centre Event page
Galerie Cactus—9 artistes 9: www.9artistes9.com