GRAZIE,ITALY – Bonairean artist Ghislaine Monte, better known as ‘Ghis Arts’ on the island, recently participated in the prestigious international street art festival, Concorso Internazionale dei Madonnari, in Grazie, Italy. This event, held from August 13 to 15, marked the 50th edition of the festival, where the art form of ‘Madonnari’ originated.

“Participating in the competition in Grazie feels like the Olympic Games of street art for me. It’s a top-level sport that demands a lot from your body,” said Ghislaine, visibly proud of her achievement.

Ghislaine competed in the ‘Semplici’ category and won third prize for her impressive artwork inspired by the Minotaur. This year’s festival was extraordinary due to the chosen theme: each artist was assigned a line from Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ as their source of inspiration. Ghislaine was given the line: **”L’infamia di Creti era distesa/che fu Concetta né la falsa vacca”** (English: “Creti’s infamy was widespread/ which was conceived in the false cow”), a reference to the mythical Minotaur. Despite the challenges of heavy rain and drawing through the night, she completed her artwork within 30 hours.

With her third-place finish, Ghislaine will advance to the higher ‘Qualificati’ category, in which she will participate next year. Winning this award is a significant achievement, given that the competition featured over 136 artists from various parts of the world, divided into three categories: Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno.

The week before, Ghislaine also participated in the international street art festival in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, held from August 2 to 4. Although she did not win a prize in Wilhelmshaven this year, she created a beautiful artwork inspired by Bonaire’s culture and nature, centered on the story of Mamparia Gutu and the parrotfish. Last year, she won first prize in the ‘Independent Artist’ category at the same festival.

Ghislaine is the only artist from the ABC islands who participates in these international street art festivals. “Every year, I’m asked, ‘Where is Bonaire?’ and I get to show how beautiful our island is. This is what I love the most—seeing people’s reactions when they see our blue waters,” she shared enthusiastically. “Over the years, I’ve noticed that more and more people know where it is, often because they’ve visited on a cruise vacation.”

Her artworks, created with special pavement chalk, are a form of performance art that celebrates the fleeting nature of the moment. The artworks wash away with the first rain, making this art form unique. Ghislaine takes great pride in representing Bonaire and its rich culture on the world stage.