Woodsman Greeted Us
Being cultural junkies, Jack and I visit lots of art museums. Somedays, we are impressed, enlightened and love the eye candy we find. Other days, Jack walks slowly by grand masters and I stifle yawns. This June in Trento, Italy, I had my very first visceral experience in an art gallery. Yes, dear readers, previously, art touched very few of the senses I was born with. Most works of art only got me sensually to first or second base – I was a gallery virgin . Today, I know what it feels like to look at something, connect, and feel my entire body tingle. Legno|Lën |Holz, curated by Gabriele Lorenzoni, at Trento’s Galleria Civica was the most incredible exhibition I have ever experienced. No I mean it – in MY LIFETIME – as an arts patron.
Each sculpture pulsed with life. One grouping of two women made me pause and look even closer. Were these two real women in make-up? I swore I heard a heart beat and know I felt their souls connecting with mine. The photos that I took don’t do justice to the life altering experience of walking through rooms of life size work that literally pulled me into each of their stories. I wanted to know who they were, why they were captured at this point in time and what they were thinking.
Trento, nestled in a valley of the Italian Dolomites, is home to Galleria Civica. This museum is part of MART – Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto. We happened upon Galleria Civica, located at Via Belenzani, 44, noticed the poster for the show and went in. The two euro entrance fee makes the museum accessible to everyone.
According to the MART catalogue of 2017 exhibitions, Legno|Lën |Holz, is “the first Italian exhibition of the wood sculptures by the most important artists currently active in the Dolomite area.” I sincerely hope there will not only be more exhibitions, but also, that this show is a catalyst for the work venturing out to the rest of the world.
If you are coming to Italy this summer and have the time – head over to Trento. The exhibition is up until September 17. My video doesn’t do it justice but it just might tease you into visiting Galleria Civica.
Nonna's Mulberry Tree 
Looks like a fascinating show. The wood really seems to capture the texture of human skin.
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I was wowed by the entire video! (At the risk of sounding unappreciative, the last time I was at the Louvre – the 5th or 6th in my lifetime – I told my companion that she had 1 hour, to see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo … then we’d move on to a museum which so much more life). I would have so much enjoyed the exhibit in your video.
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Valerie, when a sculptor breathes life into her/his work magic happens. You would love this museum.
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Surprisingly honest. If you come across an artist, Prune Noury (Lebanese-French), in Europe don’t fail to see her work.It is similarly powerful imagery of female figures. She created a terracotta clay figures of young girls (answer to the Chinese emperors terracotta army) to protest the practice of
giving girl babies to orphanage in China so the family can try for a boy. The faces with portraits of real young girls. You could walk through the 108 images that were lines up in rows.
The Chinese craftsman who helped Prune construct these life-size images didn’t understand the concept until Prune asked him to make a figures with his daughter’s face.
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It is so wonderful to unexpectedly stumble upon unknown treasures like this art exhibition and discover some real gems that make our lives richer in so many ways! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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