Inspiring artists from all over the world, there where art originated. This is the essence of Bienno Borgo degli Artisti 2.0, the artistic residency curated by Cinzia Bontempi, which transforms the charming medieval village of Bienno, in the heart of Val Camonica, into an open-air art gallery for more than nine months.
Just minutes from the famous rock carvings, the first Italian site recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Bienno becomes the stage for intense international creative activity. During the residency, the village hosts artists and designers from all over the world, from the United States to South Korea, offering them not only hospitality and materials, but also access to unique exhibition spaces: ancient forges, artisan workshops, historic buildings. Here artists can develop and realize their projects, bringing contemporary art to Bienno.
This year’s edition was even more successful than the previous one, with a 20 percent increase in applications: more than 150 artists from all corners of the world responded to the Open Call and more than 50 were selected to participate. Each artist arrives in Bienno with an original project, conceived at the application stage and realized during the residency period. The works will then be donated to the community, enriching the artistic and cultural heritage of the village.
The theme of Open Call 2025 is Empty Space and has given rise to multiple and personal interpretations in expressive forms.
The program of the new edition is divided into two main exhibition phases:
The first phase, scheduled in August during the 33rd Mostra Mercato, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year, will involve 37 international artists from Argentina, Cuba, the United States (New York), Peru, Albania, the United Kingdom (London), Austria, Germany (Berlin), South Korea, Belgium, Colombia, China, Mexico, Venezuela and Kazakhstan. There will be a strong Italian presence, with artists from Milan, Palermo, Brescia, Como, Padua and Bergamo. The works will be located in several historic buildings in the borough.
Among the main exhibition venues, Palazzo Simoni Fè stands out, where it is possible to see Pietro Gardoni’s work, Histela, in the form of video art, while at the Fucina Museo San Mai, the same artist proposes another audiovisual installation, flanked by works by Renato Calaj, with Construction Site 2025, Sidney Smith with Older Than Words, and Sofia Gasperoni, who reflects on identity dynamics in the project Noi e Loro (Us and Them).
The concept of emptiness, the main theme of this edition, is investigated by Elisa Betti with Vuoto in Potenza. Sandra Lazany with Retangling and by Naomi Treistman, who presents two works, Hard Water and Noisy Wisteria. Then there will be the works of Davide Henderson with Rondone Montano, Samela Balazi and Laura Karetzy, both with untitled works, and in those of Izabella Kawycz in the project Us in Two Dimensions. The Rogue Waves collective presents Crucible // Crucible, while Kate Teale addresses the theme through Empty and Three Deceptions. Manuel Sosa with Tractus VIII, Giulia Mezza with the sound art work Tetraphonia. Numerous other men and women artists contribute to make this review a kaleidoscope of contemporary visions and poetics.
At the Parada space, audiences can immerse themselves in the modular universe of Camillo Bojaca (Cubes), the vital rhythms of Gabriella Du Bois with Resonantia Germinis, the reflection of Sue Kim with Il Vuoto è Colmo, and the evanescent presences of Isabella Tosi(Invisible Presence). Barbara Ventura presents Ensō 円相 - The Universe in a Circle, while Renato Calaj offers a new installation, Caduta nel Vuoto.
Notable installations include Atom, a work by Luca Savino, Mario Bettoni, Alexander Diego Gil, Augusto Daniel Gallo and Rogue Waves, and Stefano Mendeni’s La Scatola Vuota. Time and space are condensed in Perry Bianchini’s project, Spazio - Tempo, while Abitare il Vuoto, an installation by Silvia Trappa and Vincenzo Pagliuca. Valentina Manzoni’s photography exhibition completes the panorama.
In the Forge at 14 Resoleto Street, artists Simon Berger and Bill Claps present the exhibition Alpine Reflections. Augusto Daniel Gallo’s works, on the other hand, are hosted in the Museo Campanaccio, while in the Fucina Museo San Mai video art returns to the forefront with works by Pietro Gardoni.
“The selected artists range across different backgrounds and disciplines: painters, sculptors, video artists, performers, designers, musicians, illustrators, land art artists, sound art and ceramists, all sharing a solid professional background,” explains Cinzia Bontempi, director and curator of the project. “The Borgo degli Artisti 2.0 project thus confirms itself as a living laboratory of art and culture, capable of bringing the universal language of art into dialogue with the history and identity of one of the most fascinating villages in Lombardy. An important initiative that brings together cultures, expressive languages and creative visions from every corner of the planet, with the aim of enhancing the territory through contemporary art, ideally closing the circle with ancient art: the traces left thousands of years ago on the rock now dialogue with the works of modern artists, bringing art back to the center of a place where it has always been a living part of the identity and collective memory.” “The artists in dialogue with the Biennese traditions of the art of ironwork, a place of creativity and ingenuity, where already in the 1600s more than 300,000 objects made of iron were exported, and where ancient forges with water hammers can still be found today,” he concludes.
The second phase, scheduled for October, will welcome new artists, including a film crew of 10-12 professionals and 5-6 performers, engaged in the making of a film directed by director Lorenzo Pallotta. This will be followed by a martial arts performance, in which masters and performers will explore the concept of empty space through waiting, silence and interaction with the environment.
Photo by Luca Savinno.
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| Val Camonica, the village of Bienno, not far from the rock carvings, is transformed into an artists' village |
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