From May 31 to September 13, 2026, Val Gardena, in the heart of the Dolomites, will once again host the Gherdëina Biennial, now in its 10th edition with the (Future) Paradise Gardens project, curated by Samuel Leuenberger. The contemporary art biennial takes place in Ortisei and in numerous venues distributed throughout the territory of the Dolomite valley, confirming the widespread character that has distinguished the event over the years.
“The Dolomites offer an inspiring backdrop, rich in natural beauty, artisanal traditions and timeless mountain narratives,” says curator Samuel Leuenberger. “These gardens are conceived not only as refuges for flora and fauna, but also as spaces that reflect our collective aspirations toward a future that is based on justice and equity.”
The new edition coincides with a significant transition in the history of the biennial, founded in 2008 by Doris Ghetta and organized since 2019 by theZënza Sëida Association. For the occasion, the territory of Val Gardena is conceived as a space for reflection in which contemporary art, the alpine environment and ecological issues are intertwined through a program consisting of site-specific installations, exhibitions and interventions scattered across the landscape.
The title (Future) Paradise Gardens proposes a reflection on the concept of the garden, interpreted both as a physical place and as a cultural and political construction. The exhibition is articulated through a series of thematic chapters that address the garden as a constructed, imagined or contested space, alternating symbolic, metaphorical and emotional perspectives. The conceptual cores identified by the curatorial project include Commoning, Divine Love and Growth, Violent Garden, Queer Ecology, Botanical and Gardens as Spaces for Reflection and Poetry. These are complemented by a reflection on industrial and extractive dynamics that stand in contrast to such visions of the relationship between humans and the environment.
The 2026 edition brings together an international group of artists whose research addresses issues related to ecology, identity, memory, landscape and processes of social transformation. Participants include Chanelle Adams, Giulia Cenci, Sandra Knecht, Lydia Ourahmane, Bosco Sodi, Álvaro Urbano, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Yuyan Wang, and numerous other key players on the international contemporary scene.
One of the main projects in the program is Dormancy, a new production by Italian artist Jacopo Belloni. The work was selected as part of the fourteenth edition of the Italian Council 2025, a program promoted by the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity to support the international dissemination of Italian art. The project was developed between Geneva, Marseille, Porto and Val Gardena and, once the exhibition is completed, will become part of the permanent collection of GAMeC - Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo.
The 10th edition also represents an opportunity to strengthen the event’s international network. Novelties include a two-year partnership with the Kaunas Biennial, in Lithuania, to which is added the renewal of the collaboration with the Museion in Bolzano. As part of this institutional synergy, the South Tyrol museum will host the first solo exhibition in Italy of Chinese artist Evelyn Taocheng Wang, establishing an exhibition dialogue between Bolzano and Val Gardena. To celebrate the milestone of the 10th edition, a special publication has also been produced that traces almost two decades of the event’s activities, documenting the experiences, projects and collaborations that have characterized the biennial’s path in the Dolomite territory.
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| Biennale Gherdëina 10: Val Gardena returns to host contemporary art on the theme of the garden |
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