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Dormancy by Jacopo Belloni—one of the projects that, from 31 May to 13 September 2026, will be part of (Future) Paradise Gardens, the tenth edition of Biennale Gherdëina curated by Samuel Leuenberger—was among the winners of the fourteenth edition of the Italian Council 2025, the programme of the General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture aimed at promoting Italian contemporary art worldwide.

Dormancy takes shape through the creation of two sculptural cycles. The first cycle, Dormienti (Sleepers), consists of seed collectors, a kind of caskets or reliquaries that will contain seeds studied and gathered together with associations and communities living in the places where the project is exhibited, in this case Val Gardena.

The second sculptural cycle, Nenie (Laments), comprises copper distillation devices that act as extractors for obtaining essential oils from plants with calming and soporific properties. The second sculptural cycle, co-produced by Biennale Gherdëina, will be contributing to reflections on gardens – seen not only as sanctuaries for flora and fauna but also as spaces embodying aspirations for a future grounded in justice and equality. Additionaly, Dormancy benefits from the scientific consultancy of the working group Arable Crops and Aromatic Plants at Laimburg Research Centre, the leading research institute for agriculture and food processing in South Tyrol.

In the attic of an old school building in St. Cristina, Dormancy, consisting of both sculptural cycles, engages both the biological and emotional dimensions of suspension. Together, these works inhabit a state of stillness and latency. They invite visitors into a slowed perception, where dormancy is not absence, but a condition of endurance—an interval where life withdraws, prepares, and quietly persists.

The first part of the project was produced and exhibited at Halle Nord in Geneva, Switzerland, within the exhibition Jardins Défiants (Defiant Gardens) curated by Elise Lammer, in collaboration with Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, from September 10 to October 20, 2025. In May 2026, in Italy, the second part of the project will be presented within the context of Biennale Gherdëina 10. Belloni’s project will also be exhibited at the event Fogo Fátuo organised in collaboration with Galeria Municipal do Porto, Portugal on July 4, and promoted at Triangle-Astérides in Marseille, France, over the course of summer. Biennale Gherdëina will host a public event during Summer, dedicated to the harvest of the seeds that will complete Belloni’s sculptures. At the end of the exhibition in Val Gardena, Dormancy will then join the permanent collection of GAMeC – Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo.

The project is realised with the support of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture within the framework of the Italian Council programme (14th edition, 2025), dedicated to promoting Italian contemporary art internationally.

May 7, 2026, 10:00AM-01:00PM
Associazione I Bochaleri
Castello 1257, Venice (next to the Serra dei Giardini)

As done for the previous editions, Biennale Gherdëina warmly invites you to an open-air breakfast in the garden of the Venetian ceramicists’ association I Bochaleri.

On the occasion of the Biennale’s tenth edition, there will be the launch of the anniversary publication “BG1–10. Biennale Gherdëina Anniversary”; the President of the association Zënza Sëida, Eduard Demetz, as well as the Biennale’s Director, Doris Ghetta, will be present.

The breakfast offers an opportunity to explore the theme of this year’s edition, (Future) Paradise Gardens, together with the Curator Samuel Leuenberger and several of the participating artists.

We look forward to welcoming you!
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The Biennale Gherdëina team warmly invites you to the 10th edition of Biennale Gherdëina – (Future) Paradise Gardens, curated by Samuel Leuenberger.
The exhibition will take place in Val Gardena from May 31 to September 13, 2026.

The opening will be held on May 30, 2026, starting at 10:00 a.m., in the center of the town of Ortisei.
Participating artists:
Chanelle Adams (1992, US), Andrius Arutiunian (1991, Armenia/Lithuania), Jacopo Belloni (1992, Italy), Alice Bucknell (1993, UK/US), Leonardo Bürgi (1994, Mexico/Switzerland), Giulia Cenci (1988, Italy), Dorota Gaweda (1986, Poland) & Eglė Kulbokaitė (1987, Lithuania), Sandra Knecht (1968, Switzerland), Judith Neunhäuserer (1990, Italy), Walter Niedermayr (1952, Italy), Masatoshi Noguchi (1988, Japan/Italy), Gabriela Oberkofler (1975, Italy), Lydia Ourahmane (1992, Algeria), Gregor Prugger (1954, Italy) & Leonora Prugger (1995, Italy), Ana Prvacki (1976, Serbia), Augustas Serapinas (1990 Lithuania), Bas Smets (1975, Belgium) & Eliane Le Roux (1983, France), Bosco Sodi (1970, Mexico), Constantin Thun, Kelly Tissot (1995, France), Alvaro Urbano (1983, Spain), Yuyan Wang (1989, China), Evelyn Taocheng Wang (1981, China), Pedro Wirz (1981, Brazil/Switzerland) & Michael Marder (1980, Canada/Portugal).

Further information will be shared soon!

For the first time, Biennale Gherdëina is joining forces with Kaunas Biennial — a landmark collaboration that brings together two vibrant European contemporary art platforms. Founded in 1997, Kaunas Biennial stands as the largest and longest-running contemporary art festival in the Baltic States. Initially focused on textile art, it has since evolved into a dynamic forum embracing a wide range of artistic practices, fostering international dialogue, and addressing pressing social and cultural issues—values that strongly resonate with Biennale Gherdëina’s own mission.

Running from September 12 to November 23, 2025, the 15th edition of Kaunas Biennial invites visitors on a journey through art, nature, and imagination with its satellite exhibition Echoes Between Forests and Mountains, which includes an Italian artist selection by Lorenzo Giusti, curator of Biennale Gherdëina 9, and a Lithuanian artist selection by Neringa Kulik, director of Kaunas Biennial. Bringing together the voices of Lithuanian artists, Maximilian Oprishka, Aisté Ambrazevičiūté, and Andrius Arutiunian, and three remarkable Italian artists from the 2024 Biennale Gherdëina — Atelier dell’Errore, Ruth Beraha, and Arnold Holzknecht — the show creates a vivid dialogue between landscapes, cultures, and creative visions.

Set within the evocative spaces of Meno parkas Gallery and the Kaunas City Museum’s Town Hall branch, the exhibition blossoms from a vibrant network of international collaborations, linking Kaunas with the Lyon Biennale and CHRONIQUES – the Biennale des Imaginaires Numériques. A dynamic cross-cultural encounter, Echoes Between Forests and Mountains resonates far beyond borders — a celebration of shared imagination and artistic exchange between Italy, Lithuania and France.

The exhibition explores the intricate interplay between nature, myth, technology, and human intervention. Rooted in their respective landscapes—from the Lithuanian forests to the Alpine valleys—the artists offer sculptural and sensorial experiences that reflect a shared concern for our relationship with the natural world and its ongoing transformations. Across sculpture, film, installation, and sound, the exhibition unfolds as a conceptual landscape where ecological processes, human histories, and speculative futures converge.

From May 30 to September 13, 2026, three outstanding Lithuanian artists — Andrius Arutiunian, Eglé Kulbokaité, and Augustas Serapinas — will bring their unique voices to Biennale Gherdëina 10. Selected by Samuel Leuenberger, curator of the upcoming edition, following his inspiring research journey through Vilnius and Kaunas in January 2025, their participation marks a vibrant new chapter in the dialogue between the two biennials.

This creative exchange thrives thanks to the joint vision and collaborative support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Italian Republic, forging bridges between the Dolomites and the Baltic — where ideas, cultures, and imaginations freely intertwine.

Echoes Between Forests and Mountains is part of the Lithuanian Culture in Italy 2025–2026 program. The Lithuanian Culture in Italy 2025–2026 program is implemented by the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Italian Republic.

Biennale Gherdëina, located in the unique setting of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites, is delighted to announce the appointment of Samuel Leuenberger as the Curator of its 10th edition. Through new commissions and an exhibition programme based on environmental projects and public programming, the biennial has organically grown from one edition to the next, gathering the international art world in the locality, whilst maintaining a strong connection to the cultural, historical and linguistic roots of the Alpine region. Following this vision yet tracing new and unprecedented trajectories, Biennale Gherdëina 10 will take place in Ortisei Urtijëi St. Ulrich and the surrounding areas of Val Gardena, Italy, from 29 May to 13 September 2026.

Samuel Leuenberger is the founder and director of SALTS, a non-profit exhibition space in Birsfelden and Bennwil, Switzerland, which aims to promote interdisciplinary exchange and dialogue with emerging artists. He was most recently the curator of Art Basel’s Messeplatz Project and currently works on the third and last installment of the Art in Public Space Project with Globus in collaboration with Fondation Beyeler. From 2016-2023 he was the curator of Art Basel’s Parcours sector. His curatorial vision is rooted in collaboration, with a focus on empathy and accessibility, often working with artists with whom he shares long-standing relations. His curatorial approach also emphasizes slow, thoughtful engagement with art and architecture and how they link to the natural environment, creating accessible yet thought-provoking experiences.

In response to the nomination, Leuenberger states:

“I am deeply honored and thrilled to be appointed as the Curator for the tenth edition of Biennale Gherdëina, set in such a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. The Dolomites offer an inspiring backdrop, rich in natural beauty, artisanal traditions, and timeless mountain tales — an ideal setting for exploring the concept of (Future) Paradise Gardens. These gardens, situated between the raw grandeur of nature and human cultivation, serve not only as sanctuaries for flora and fauna but also as spaces that reflect our aspirations for a future grounded in justice and equality. In this environment, we can envision gardens that nourish both the body and the spirit, spaces of refuge and possibility for all.”

More information on the programme will be announced in 2025.