Italy’s Biennale Gherdëina has announced the artist list for its upcoming ninth edition, set to take place from 31 May to 1 September 2024 in various venues around Ortisei/Urtijëi St. Ulrich and the surrounding areas of Val Gardena Gherdëina Gröden.
Artists from the Middle East and Arab world include Talar Aghbassian, Alex Ayed, Nassim Azarzar, Ismaïl Bahri, Yesmine Ben Khelil, Nadim Choufi, Elmas Deniz, Esraa Elfeki, Marianne Fahmy, Shuruq Harb, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Katia Kameli, Sara Ouhaddou and Lin May Saeed. See the full list below:
Talar Aghbassian
Atelier dellʼErrore
Alex Ayed
Nassim Azarzar
Ismaïl Bahri
Yesmine Ben Khelil
Ruth Beraha
Chiara Bersani
Alessandro Biggio
Julius von Bismarck
Nadim Choufi
Elmas Deniz
Esraa Elfeki
Andro Eradze
Marianne Fahmy
Valentina Furian
Daniele Genadry
Eva Giolo
Shuruq Harb
Arnold Holzknecht
Michael Höpfner
Ingela Ihrman
Nadia Kaabi-Linke
Katia Kameli
Le Deunff
Linda Jasmin Mayer
Femmy Otten
Sara Ouhaddou
Eva Papamargariti
Diana Policarpo
Lin May Saeed
Helle Siljeholm
Tobias Tavella
Markus Vallazza
Karin Welponer
Curated by Lorenzo Giusti with Marta Papini as associate curator and organised by the Zënza Sëida association chaired by Eduard Demetz, this year’s edition is themed The Parliament of Marmots. The exhibition concept draws from the Ladin myths of the Dolomites, which describe the relationship of ancient communities with the ‘soul’ of nature, and adds a contemporary layer to these hallowed legends.
Giusti said: “There are three pivotal themes in this edition of the Biennale Gherdëina: the wild as a creative dimension, multi-speciesism as a trajectory of becoming, and the mountain as a meeting ground and narrative dimension. The artists who will gather in Val Gardena all base their research on the concrete experience of the forest, of walking, of isolation, of the mountains, of matter, of the body, of connection with various animal species and empathy with the natural world.”
The ninth edition of the Biennale Gherdëina features new productions, performances, solo and group exhibitions, and collaborations with regional institutions and with workshops open to the public. Highlights include a retrospective exhibition in two venues (the Sala Trenker in Ortisei and Spazio Zero at GAMeC in Bergamo) dedicated to Lin May Saeed (1973–2023); a group exhibition and film programme exploring the theme of the wilderness in relation to anthropisation, land consumption and ecological collapse; and a joint programme entitled Thinking Like a Mountain, under the artistic direction of Giusti, with Sara Fumagalli and Papini as associate curators and Valentina Gervasoni as head of magazine.
A public preview of the biennial will run from 31 May to 2 June 2024.
