smach art in the dolomites. call for proposals and residency

SMACH Biennale is a disseminated art exhibition that, every two years since 2012, has made a series of works conceived and installed in relation to some of the most beautiful places in Val Badia and the UNESCO Dolomites freely accessible to the public. In the six editions organized so far, we have presented 60 installations (many of which are now permanently exhibited at SMACH Val dl’Ert) that interact with nature, history, identity, and the culture of the territory, conveying non-stereotypical visions of the Alpine landscape. The Biennale aims to spark visitors’ interest both in contemporary visual art and in the locations where the artworks are set. Additionally, it aspires to stimulate imagination, critical thinking (e.g., regarding many controversial aspects of the human-nature relationship), and abstract thought in the observer. As in every edition, the artworks for the 2025 Biennale will also be selected through the dedicated call for proposals presented here. Among the project proposals received, 10 will be selected and funded based on the judgment of the technical and artistic juries, which will reward those best able to engage with the locations and theme of the 2025 edition.

THEME 2025

For the seventh edition of the SMACH Biennale, we have chosen a Ladin (the minority local language of Val badia) term that refers to an object: ‘la cu’. In Italian, is called “cote”, in English “whetstone”, in German “Schleifstein”. Different words refer to the same tool: the stone used to sharpen the scythe to cut the grass in the meadows.

The whetstone has been widespread in every corner of the planet for millennia. The Ladin and Italian terms derive from the Latin ‘cos’, ‘cotis’, which in turn comes from the root ‘co’, meaning to be sharp or cutting. This tool conveys multiple themes and stimulates numerous reflections: human and technical evolution; the art of craftsmanship in continuity with the remotest times; the universality of certain tools and gestures; the transmission, or loss, of cultural heritage; the present, past, and future. The purpose of the call is to gather your visions born from observing, studying, and speculating on this object. These ideas should then be formalized into project proposals that, if selected, will become artworks to be installed in the locations presented in the dedicated document (see attachment). We expect unexpected and stimulating interpretations, arising from a process of “reverse engineering”, deconstructing the tool into its possible, or real, physical, metaphorical, and metaphysical manifestations. We, therefore, invite you to experiment and speculate with your imagination around the proposed subject-object. This means that the final result can diverge greatly from the starting point, both in form and materials, in formal language, and in interpretative possibilities.

For information on locations and terms and conditions see the documents at: www.smach.it/2025-submission-page