Mudazion

Unika guest at the Franzensfeste

Nothing is as constant as change
(Heraclitus of Ephesus, 535-475 B.C.)

We have made this well known quote from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus the theme of this year’s spring exhibition. According to Heraclitus, the only constant in our lives is change. The Franzensfeste Fortress is perhaps the best testimony to this: planned and built under the Habsburgs almost 200 years ago as part of a large defence system, since 2003 it has – with the withdrawal of the Italian military – completely lost its original function. Whilst from the outside it still gleams in its monumental granite robes, its interior has come to rest and emerges as a place of cultural exchange and dialogue between (hi)story and contemporary art.

Change and dialogue through sculpture, painting and photography and their different forms of artistic expression are also the focus of the exhibition. Twenty-six artists from the UNIKA association in Val Gardena are presenting selected artworks and thus revealing their own very personal careers and development. They also deal critically however with the changes that our lifestyle exerts on the environment, the exploitation of nature and consequently how this affects us as a society and as a part of the universal environment we live in. The killing of thousands of innocent people, oppression, the destruction of cultural heritage are subordinated to the pursuit of power and the appropriation of land. And yet many of us ask ourselves daily: what contribution can I make in order to really bring about change? Change means nothing more than letting go of the old and familiar in order to be able to let in the new. Now let yourself be drawn into the exhibition; we wish you one or two inspirational thoughts in the process.

Curated by: Esther Erlacher, Sandra Mutschlechner
In cooperation with: UNIKA
Photos: Tiberio Sorvillo