Sergio Luciani will perform a BYOT workshop at our regular meeting place. Sergio Luciani is a Graphic Design professional born in Buenos Aires Argentina on October 20, 1969. He had no familiarity with Bonsai until 1999, when he enrolled in a basic course taught by Marita Gurruchaga. While serving as his teacher, Ms Gurruchaga also became his partner and friend.
After participating in many international Bonsai events, in 2005 Mr. Lucianai co-edited the Bonsai Manual which was published by Emecé Editores in Argentina. After many trips abroad and exhibitions, he gained knowledge and experience sufficient to win 1st Prize in the Senior Bonsai Competition during the 2006 Matsuri at the Japanese Gardens in Buenos Aires. He also received the award during the 2007 and 2008 events with international juries.
After winning a prize for the Most Interesting Blog for his Bonsai Blog of Argentina Mr. Luciani began editing the magazine “Bonsai Puntoar” which started in Argentina and soon became popular in all of South America.
In September 2008, Mr. Luciani began studying in Belo Horizonte, Brazil under the direction of Salvatore Liporace of Italy.
In 2009, he won the Gold Medal for the best bonsai publication during the World Bonsai Convention in Puerto Rico.
Many presentations on different bonsai clubs in Argentina and Brazil brought Mr. Luciani to create the study group “cincoBARRAcinco” , which today is the core of most of bonsai in Latin America.
In 2010, after completing his studies in Brazil, Mr. Luciani perfected his education in Milan, Italy at the Botanic Studio, home of the European School, where he received a Master’s Degree and was named Instructor of the School.
He continues to organize bonsai events and has become one of the Argentine resources for bonsai internationally.
In November 2010, he started his first Advance Bonsai School in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. Afterward, he formed similar schools in Rosario and Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uraguay.
Mr. Luciani gives classes and demonstrations in many cities in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Bolivia and Mexico where he is the official curator of the Tatsugoro Museum in Fortin, Cordoba.
In 2012, he was named Official Demonstrator of the Latin American and Caribbean Federation of Bonsai. He was the first Argentine bonsai expert to be recognized abroad.
In September 2013, he participated in the World of Bonsai in Shintang, China, a first in the history of Argentine Bonsai.
In November 2013, he started his Argento Bonsai Studio in Tapiales, Buenos Aires, Argentina, organizing different international events which allowed cultural and artistic interchange between bonsai enthusiasts of many different countries.
He administered the First Bonsai Evolutionary Competition “cincoBARRAcinco” in which 15 Latin American countries participated with more than 200 projects.
In August 2014, he was again Official Demonstrator of the Latin America and Caribbean Federation of Bonsai. On this occasion, Mr. Luciani was also asked to organize the exposition as well as show his work with other Latin American artists. In this event, he won the prize for the best Latin American tree the Deciduous and Large Leaves Category – the category in which he also received 3 levels – 1st and 3rd.
In October 2014, he again travelled to China, by invitation from the Chinese Artists Association, in the city of Yuyao, where Mr. Luciani was named Ambassador.
He returned to administer the Second Bonsai Evolutionary Competition with more than 300 works participating with the recognition of the Latin American and Caribbean Federation of Bonsai.
Mr. Luciani is a part of the international community, Black Scissors, an international group of artists seeking free expression in bonsai.
In May 2015, he returned to Ledesma, Jujuy in northern Argentina as a member of a federal program for the promotion of Bonsai in Argentina.
In September 2015, he visited Sucre, Bolivia as the only demonstrator of the National Convention of Bonsai, organized by the Cuquisaca Association.
In November 2015, he visited India in the setting of the All India Bonsai Convention, in Vadodara, India. He worked as an exhibitor together with eminent international bonsai participants.
2016 will be a great year for Mr. Luciani. In March, he will open a new school in Northeastern Argentina in the province of Salta. In May, with Mauro Stemberger from Italy, Nacho Marin of Venezuela and German Arellano of Colombia, they will organize an International Meeting for the Study of Argento Bonsai, with the participation of Su Fang from China. In September, Mr. Luciani will return as Demonstrator of the Latin America and Caribbean Federation of Bonsai, the first person asked to perform as such in three consecutive conventions.