Approaching Biennale Gherdëina 9
The Parliament of Marmots
Lorenzo Giusti in conversation with Nadia Kaabi-Linke and Michael Höpfner
Tuesday, January 30th, h 17.00
La Boîte - Centre D’art Contemporain - Tunis
On Tuesday 30 January at La Boîte - Centre D’art Contemporain in Tunis, Lorenzo Giusti, curator of the ninth edition of Biennale Gherdëina will lead Approaching Biennale Gherdëina 9, a conversation with Michael Höpfner (Krems/Danube - Austria, 1972) and Nadia Kaabi-Linke (Tunis - Tunisia, 1978) who is currently on show at La Boîte with Kaf W Kaaba Halwa. Both Höpfner and Kaabi-Linke are two of the numerous artists who will exhibit work at Biennale Gherdëina from 31 May.
Biennale Gherdëina 9
The Parliament of Marmots
31.05 — 01.09.2024
Opening
31.05 – 01.06.2024
Artists confirmed to take part can be announced as:
↧
Talar Aghbassian (1981), Atelier dell’Errore (2002), Alex Ayed (1989), Nassim Azarzar (1989), Ismaïl Bahri (1978), Yesmine Ben Khelil (1986), Ruth Beraha (1986), Chiara Bersani (1984), Alessandro Biggio (1974), Julius von Bismarck (1983), Nadim Choufi (1994), Elmas Deniz (1981), Esraa Elfeki (1989), Andro Eradze (1993), Marianne Fahmy (1992), Valentina Furian (1989), Daniele Genadry (1980), Eva Giolo (1991), Shuruq Harb (1980), Arnold Holzknecht (1960), Michael Höpfner (1973), Ingela Ihrman (1985), Nadia Kaabi-Linke (1978), Katia Kameli (1973), Laurent Le Deunff (1977), Linda Jasmin Mayer (1986), Femmy Otten (1981), Sara Ouhaddou (1986), Eva Papamargariti (1987), Diana Policarpo (1986), Janis Rafa (1984), Lin May Saeed (1973-2023), Helle Siljeholm (1981), Tobias Tavella (1990), Markus Vallazza (1936-2019) + Martino Gamper (1971), Karin Welponer (1941).
The 9th edition of Biennale Gherdëina, curated by Lorenzo Giusti with Marta Papini as associate curator, borrows its title from one of the most enchanting Ladin myths of the Dolomites, which tells the story of the Fanes: a meek and peaceful people whose kingdom extended beyond the seven mountains to the edge of the world. The secret of their prosperity lay in their alliance with the marmots that inhabited the plateau of the same name. When the alliance was broken because of a princess who was ashamed of the pact with the animals, the Fanes met with misfortunes and conflicts that inevitably led to the downfall of their kingdom.
The origin of these archaic Ladin myths, which have survived the oral tradition and the strains of modern rewrites, dates back to proto-history, to the time of the transition from hunting to animal breeding and agriculture. Their function was to describe the complex relationship of these communities with the theme of the ‘soul’ – the soul of nature, of the world – whose presence permeates all beings, all the main ‘entities’ of wild nature.
These archaic myths, which share certain key figures with Mediterranean culture, do not speak of creation (of human beings or empires) but of transformation, celebrating nature, the cycle of life and the intimate and profound relationship between all species. In this perspective, the mountains and the Dolomites – remnants of gigantic coral reefs that surfaced 250 million years ago – transform from being a barrier to a crossing point and thus a point of encounter and contamination.
And it is precisely of contamination that this ninth edition of the Biennale Gherdëina aims to speak, superimposing new contemporary stories onto ancient legends, embracing a widespread geographical territory. Through various formats – new productions, performances, solo and group exhibitions, collaborations with regional institutions and with workshops open to the public – the event will gather the contributions of artists from various parts of continental Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, bringing together a multicultural community in Val Gardena.
22.07.2023
Symposium
A panel discussion with:
Sabine Gamper, curator
Giovanna Melandri, environmentalist
Harald Pechlaner, researcher
Herwig Prinoth, paleonthologist
Ute Watzl, cultural journalist
moderated by Traudi Messini
The Symposium looked at the relationship between mountain landscape and contemporary art with the aim of identifying perspectives for joint and sustainable development. Starting from the specific case of the Dolomites and their millennial history, strategies for dealing with climate change were discussed - also on an economic and social level - highlighting the necessary and still possible turnarounds. Looking at the broader context of art in public space, various aspects of the relationship between the history of alpine landscapes, tradition and culture of mountain valleys with technological innovation and contemporary thinking that looks to the present and imagines the future were addressed. Taking into account different points of view, it tries to understand what it means to create art in nature, to deal with the public space by involving the population and to analyse what impact can be expected on the territory in cultural, social and economic terms.
Potato
Talks
"Potato Talks" is a performance format conceived in 2016 by Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh (*1983). Ten storytellers, seated on a stool, tell personal stories to the passing audience while peeling potatoes. The audience is invited to sit on the free stool in front of the storyteller, listen to his stories and interact with him, holding the peels.
On the occasion of the presentation of the ninth edition of the Gherdëina Biennale on 22 July 2023 - the stories of the ten storytellers involved by Mirna Bamieh speak of mountains and paths, of migrations and returns, of wilderness and animals, mixing personal experiences and legends, myths and everyday stories. In this way, they become interpreters of the core themes of Lorenzo Giusti's project. These are therefore stories that connect the local context - the Dolomites and their valleys - with other mountains in Europe and the Mediterranean, embracing, within a single choral narration, the field of investigation - from North Africa to the Middle East - that Biennale Gherdëina 9 intends to make its own.
