ARTE SELLA | ART ITINERARIES OF TRENTINO

ITINERARI ARTE & NATURA | TRENTO

ARTE SELLA

ART ITINERARIES OF TRENTINO

Arte Sella is a showcase of contemporary art in nature, taking place in Val di Sella, within the municipality of Borgo Valsugana. Established in 1986, Arte Sella has evolved into an international event for contemporary art, held outdoors in the meadows and woods of Val di Sella (Borgo Valsugana, Trento). Enrico Ferrari, Emanuele Montibeller, and Carlotta Strobele initiated the event in 1986, and it is managed by the homonymous association, initially led by Enrico Ferrari until 2000, followed by Laura Tomaselli, and since March 2012, by Giacomo Bianchi. In its initial phase (1986-1996), the event was biennial and took place at "Casa Strobele" and its park. From 1996 onwards, it expanded along a route on Monte Armentera, still in Val di Sella, named artenatura. Approximately 25 artworks are situated along a 3 km path.

Since 1998, many exhibitions have occurred at "Malga Costa," an isolated rural building located at the valley's end. Once a privately owned facility used for cattle breeding and dairy production, Malga Costa is now municipally owned and hosts artists participating in the event, along with exhibitions and services for visitors. Nearly 30 artworks are scattered in the surrounding area of Malga Costa.

The artistic project aims not only to be a qualified exhibition of artworks but also, and most importantly, a creative process. The artwork is observed daily in its development, and the artist's intervention must express a relationship with nature based on respect, drawing inspiration and motivation from it. The works are generally three-dimensional, created with stones, leaves, branches, or trunks. Objects, materials, or artificial colors are rarely used, and the artworks are displayed outdoors, allowing visitors to appreciate the pieces while immersing themselves in the unique environmental features of the location (various types of forests, rocks, monumental trees, etc.). They become part of the natural lifecycle and are destined to undergo slow processes of transformation and degradation until their eventual disappearance.

Besides the art exhibition, the event frequently features concerts, theatrical performances, and other events with the participation of prominent artists, including Marco Paolini, Moni Ovadia, Antonella Ruggiero, Mario Brunello (who became the director of the musical programming for Arte Sella), Mercanti di Liquore, and Gianmaria Testa.

Inside "Malga Costa," site-specific installations have been hosted, including works by Jakko Pernu (2008), Cornelia Konrads (2006), Isabella Bordoni (2005), Marinette Cueco (2002), and Studio Azzurro (2001).

The fundamental principles of the event were thus established:

1. The artist is not the sole protagonist, as in the Land Art movement characterized by strongly "impressive" marks on the territory.
2. Nature is considered the individual's memory and, therefore, must be defended.
3. The relationship with ecology changes: nature is to be interpreted in its absence and is a source of knowledge and experience.
4. The artworks are part of and refer to the defined place and time; they favor the use of organic, non-artificial materials and interact with the landscape, becoming an integral part of it.

In a clearing near "Malga Costa," the work "Vegetable Cathedral" was created in 2001 by Giuliano Mauri. Built with over three thousand interwoven branches in the form of a three-naved cathedral, with eighty columns 12 meters high and a surface area of 1220 square meters. Each column contains a hornbeam plant, which, in the artist's intention, should eventually replace the current structure destined to decay and disappear as the plants grow. The work was conceived in the late 1980s and was published in Germany. It was also presented at the Triennale di Milano but had never been realized due to its structural complexity. The artwork enjoyed great public success, attracting numerous visitors.

ARTE SELLA

Itinerari Storia & Natura| Trentino Aldo Adige

TERRAZZA BUSA DEGLI ORSI

Straordinario punto panoramico di Sardagna che prende il nome dai plantigradi qui “ospitati” fino agli anni Ottanta. In stato di abbandono per decenni, la Busa degli orsi è diventata nel 2017 una spettacolare terrazza sulla città, luogo ideale per residenti e turisti in cerca di panorami mozzafiato ma anche spazio ricco di suggestione per concerti, cinema, spettacoli. La “Busa” si trova sul punto più estremo della roccia, in una posizione dominante rispetto all’intera città di Trento.

Nella “Busa” è stata dunque costruita una struttura a gradoni in acciaio corten, che si ossida nel tempo fino ad assumere un caratteristico color ruggine. Nei diversi gradoni sono state collocate ottanta sedute, con affaccio sul panorama circostante. La struttura permette anche un utilizzo come piccolo teatro all’aperto, con palco e platea, per spettacoli o concerti.

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