While the winter months may see avid skiers flock to the northern Italian town of Ortisei (Urtijëi in the Ladin language), every other summer the alpine village becomes a focus of the art world.
Now welcoming its ninth edition, the Biennale Gherdëina has been bringing international contemporary art to the UNESCO-protected Dolomites since 2008. This year, more than 30 artists and collectives are taking part, bringing new commissions, existing artworks and performances into dialogue with the spectacular natural landscape – as well as a rich local folklore and culture.
Curated by Italian historian and art curator Lorenzo Giusti, with Marta Papini as assistant curator, 2024’s exhibition takes as its theme ‘The Parliament of Marmots’. This title borrows from a local Ladin myth about the Fanes – the legendary founding population of the Ladins, who were prosperous because of their alliance with the marmots with whom they shared the land.
Building on this local legend, the artists will explore the land as a space of encounter, but also contamination, exploring what it means to impose new stories onto the history-rich, monumental landscapes.
“There are three pivotal themes in this edition of the Biennale Gherdëina,” explains Giusti, “the wild as a creative dimension, multi-speciesism as a trajectory of becoming, and the mountain as a meeting ground and narrative dimension.”
Participating artists, spanning a range of disciplines, come from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, including Ismaïl Bahri, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Julius von Bismarck, Eva Papamargariti, Andro Eradze, Nassim Azarzar and Femmy Otten.
“Through various formats – new productions, performances, solo and group exhibitions, collaborations with regional institutions and with workshops open to the public – the event will [...] bring together a multicultural community in Val Gardena,” Giusti tells Euronews Culture. “We are excited to work with so many artists and partners on this edition and welcoming you this summer.”
‘The Parliament of Marmots’, Giusti explains, will live beyond the end of the Biennale, forming part of a “broader network of initiatives” across the Bergamo area and Orobie mountain range, within the joint ‘Thinking Like a Mountain’ programme.
The ninth edition of Biennale Gherdëina: The Parliament of Marmots runs from 31 May – 1 September 2024 across venues in Ortisei, Pontives, and Selva Val Gardena.
