The Meraki Market returns to Palazzo Sani this weekend with creativity, unique handmade works and “Artists at Work” in the splendid setting of Palazzo Sani, Via Fillungo 121, Lucca.

As usual, the market exhibition will take place in the charming Loggia and garden on the ground floor, as well as in the magnificent Reception Hall on the first floor, from 10 am to 8 pm.

Meraki artists and creatives will showcase entirely handmade works including painting and illustration, ceramics, jewellery created with various techniques, wood and leather works, creative sewing, nunofelt, artistic recycling, Japanese papier-mâché and much more.

The common thread remains the very meaning of the modern Greek word “meraki”: to put a part of oneself into what one creates, working with passion, care and soul.

This May edition will feature two special moments.

On Saturday 16 May at 12 pm the official opening ceremony will take place in the presence of representatives from the Municipality of Lucca and Confcommercio.

The event “Artists at Work” also returns — a special space dedicated to live creativity, which was greatly appreciated in previous editions. During both days visitors will have the opportunity to watch renowned Lucca painter Michela Barsanti at work, observing every phase of the artistic process up close, from raw material to finished artwork.

Please note: “Artists at Work” will take place in the small Loggia overlooking the garden; in case of bad weather it will be moved to the entrance of the Reception Hall.

About “Artists at Work”

“Artists at Work” is a space designed to create a connection between artist and visitor: an opportunity to stop, observe, ask questions, discover techniques, curiosities and small secrets of the craft.

The project was created to celebrate handmade creativity, preserve traditional techniques and share their continuous evolution in the present day.

Two days dedicated to creativity, passion and the beauty of handmade works!

About painter Michela Barsanti — the artist introduces herself

“I have drawn and painted for as long as I can remember. Over the years I experimented with many different techniques before choosing perhaps the least comfortable and conventional one: mural painting, creating trompe-l'œil decorations and wall paintings for homes.

I use the same technique on plastered wooden panels, working with powdered pigments such as earths and oxides mixed with water and glue. It is an ancient-style technique that cannot be improvised: it requires preparation, first of the surface and then of the colours, which must be mixed each time.

The application of colour does not allow blending as oil painting does, because of the rapid drying process, so shading is achieved through different colour gradations. Mastering this technique comes with experience, and you know you have succeeded when someone looking at your work feels the need to touch it to understand that what appears raised is actually painted.

At Meraki I bring small decorative works: miniature trompe-l'œil pieces, decorative panels, tiny ‘doors’ inspired by the traditional gateways of Lucca’s historic centre and nearby rural villages, as well as birds and cats, which I also portray in commissioned portraits.

These are small decorative creations that can easily find a place in any corner of a home, with the simple purpose of bringing joy to every glance that rests upon them.”