Walking down from La Crusc towards the colorful Armentara meadows it is difficult to see it at first glance. The work of Dmitrii Khramov e Maria Khramova, among the finalists of the new edition of Smach – Constellation of art, culture & history in the Dolomites, the international biennial of Land Art of the Dolomites, forces you to turn around to read it with your eyes and feel it with your heart. Almost as if it were an obligatory emotional path to fully accept the meaning behind the four cubic structures that stand out on the green meadows of Val Badia.
At that point, just wait for the wind to blow for the dance of the suspended ribbons to reveal the word «MAMA». «A bit like life when there is air in the lungs»Reads the description affixed to a few meters from the installation.
With life, this artistic creation is pervaded in every corner. Homage from Russian artists to their mother who died of Covid-19 and with whom they were supposed to spend their holidays in the mountains this summer, the installation is an intimate yet universal expression of the concept of “fragility”, the theme of Smach 2021.
Born in 2012 from an idea of ​​Michael Moling and assisted by Katharina Moling and Gustav Willeit, the biennale offers the viewer the opportunity to witness a profound dialogue between art and nature, cadenced by the rhythm of a theme that is different each time that inspires the artists competing to create their own work with genius and dexterity.
The works are selected by a renowned jury, which this year had to examine well 1,061 projects received from all over the world by choosing ten. Ten different artistic tales, a reflection of that concept of fragility that we have never learned to make our own as in this critical year, designed and created directly in some of the most evocative points of Val Badia (within the protected areas of the Dolomites) and where will remain on display until 12 September 2021. “This is a work of sensitivity because many artists do not know nature, its climate, its forces” explains Michael Moling, recounting the beauty of the challenge and at the same time the difficulty of creating a work destined to live in nature.
In line with the philosophy green which has always animated the event, the ten works, located entirely in the protected areas of the Puez Odle and Fanes / Senes / Braies Natural Parks, can be reached exclusively on foot, through regenerating trekking or long walks. Such as, for example, the one that leads to the discovery of Metaphysics of Opportunity, the work of Sara Ambrosini e Giorgia Marchetti, “Immersed”, in the true sense of the word, in Lake Rina, at the foot of the Col da Lé. Just venture along the path dotted with wild strawberries and mountain flowers that starts from the sports field of the town of Rina, a few kilometers from the town of San Vigilio di Marebbe, to get ready to discover a surreal scenario. But not before a tasty stop at Malga Munt da Rina, where, to do the honors of the house, is Gaia, the friendly dachshund who every day welcomes hikers and mountain lovers who pass through here. A recommended pit stop before resuming the path that gradually changes appearance leaving behind the dense forest to turn into steep clearings, pristine kingdom of grazing cows.
Once we reach the highest point, we are at over 2000 meters, even the climate changes despite being late summer. The altitude is felt with fresh gusts of wind and temperatures that lose a few degrees, but the scenario that opens up as soon as you arrive at the lake is truly unexpected. The silence of the mountain is interrupted only by the singing of two elegant white swans, faithful guardians of the giant “bubble” that emerges from the water, an expression of that sense of fragility and precariousness told by the two Italian artists.
THE ROUTES
Each of the ten works is located in a strategic point, such as to be easily reached via daily routes. For those who wish to see them all, SMACH, together with the local tourist agencies and Holimites, organizes a dedicated trekking proposal lasting for three days, which includes two nights of overnight stay in a refuge and which, in three stages, leads to the discovery of all 10 sites hosting the biennial. The total journey is 72,5 km, for a total duration of over 25 ore. The first stage is 14 km long and goes from the village of Rina to the Passo delle Erbe; the second reaches La Crusc covering 25 km; the last one descends to Pederü for 18.5 km. Overnight stays in the Refuge are included in the participation fee which can be with or without a guide (respectively 340 € and 610 €).
THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION
To complete the project, to give continuity and offer enthusiasts the opportunity to view works from previous editions, every year, Smach acquires some of the most significant works to give life to a show permanent, the so-called Val Dl’Ert, in Ladin: Valle dell’Arte, a large park located in the town of San Martino in Badia. Here, lying in the woods or on the grassy slopes, you can see some of the most interesting creations of international artists, protagonists of the past editions of the biennale, enjoying a peaceful walk in the silence of the mountains.
A door that opens onto the magnificence of the mountains, a poem that accompanies the path, a rock xylophone, a stylized house, a series of chairs immersed in the lawn. Fruits of creativity, imagination and genius embraced by an exceptional setting, that of nature.
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