Philippine Ambassador to Austria Lourdes O. Yparraguirre made an Official Call on Mayor Siegfried Nagl of the City of Graz, Austria’s second largest city on 28 October 2010. Graz was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, a City of Human Rights in 2001, and the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003. Mayor Nagl offered the possible participation of a Philippine artist-writer as a Resident Writer at the famous Schlossberg Castle for one year which is currently open to visiting artists. He also proposed increased contacts between Philippine universities and their counterparts in Graz. During the call, Ambassador Yparraguirre mentioned that Austrian President Heinz Fischer had conveyed his appreciation for the 30,000 strong Filipino-Austrian community in Austria, citing them for being outstanding citizens of the country.

Ambassador Yparraguirre also opened the Painting Exhibition of international artists, including the works of eight (8) Filipino artists entitled “Inversion of the Ideal” in Graz. The worldrenowned Austrian artist Herman Nitsch provided an introduction into the work of these artists from three continents. The participating artists from the Philippines are: Poklong Anading, Lena Cobangbang, Gaston Damag, Robert Langenegger, Manuel Ocampo, Jayson Oliviera, Gerardo Tan and MM Yu. Messrs. Rudolf Kratochwill and Karl Zimmermann and Ms. Birgit Zimmermann were responsible for bringing the eight Filipino artists to Austria. Ambassador Yparraguirre was the Guest Speaker during the Opening of the exhibition, which was attended by Mayor Nagl, other local government officials, students and art enthusiasts from all over Austria. The exhibition will run from 29 October to 27 November 2010 at the Gallerie Zimmerman Kratochwill in Opernring 7, 8010, Graz, Austria.