7.th Biennale of the Dolomites is calling for proposals!

For the seventh edition of the SMACH Biennale, we have chosen a Ladin term that refers to an object: the ‘cu’. It’s a stone used to sharpen the scythe to cut the grass in the meadows. The ‘cu’ speaks of materiality; imagination; craftsmanship; technical evolution; the universality of forms and basic needs; and tools found all over the world.
In the alpine pastures and meadows of Val Badia, there are still a few people who mow by hand, sharpening their blades with the whetstone. Together with Paolo Vinati, a documentary filmmaker and ethnomusicologist, we interviewed some of them.

Object Exploration Possibilities
The whetstone, as we have said, 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. 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.

SMACH é n concurs internazional por artisć. Por la setima ediziun dla Bienala SMACH unse chirí fora la parora ladina por n oget: la cu. Chësc stromënt fej referimënt al monn antich, pastoral, bucolich, al savëi artejanal, al laur fisich y nia automatisé, ai artefac che á carateristiches universales. Sön les pastöres da munt y sön i pra dla Val Badia él ciamó val’ porsona che siëia a man, amoran la falc cun la cu.

Poscibilité de declinaziun dl oget

La cu, sciöche i un dit, veicolëia de vigni sort de tematiches y stimolëia tröpes reflesciuns: l’evoluziun umana y chëra tecnica; l’ert da savëi da fá en continuité cun i tëmps plü dalunc; l’universalité de n valgügn stromënc y gestualités; la trasmisciun, o la pordüda, dl’eredité culturala; le presënt, passé y dagní.
Le fin dla bandida é da cöie adöm ostes vijiuns, nasciüdes osservan, studian, speculan sön chësc oget. Les idees gnará spo formalisades te propostes proietuales che, sce selezionades, deventará operes da istalé tles location presentades tl documënt aposta (ciara injunta). I nes aspetun declinaziuns nia aspetades y stimolantes, nasciüdes sciöche da n prozes de “reverse engineering”, la scomposiziun dl stromënt te sües manifestaziuns poscibles, o reales, manifestaziuns fisiches, metaforiches, metafisiches.
I ves inviun insciö da esperimenté, da speculé cun la fantasia incër le soget-oget porté dant. Chësc ó dí che le resultat final podará se destaché de tröp dal punt de partënza, sides tla forma co ti materiai, tl lingaz formal y tles poscibilités de letöra.

Ciafarëis deplü informaziuns sura le concurs y les postaziuns d’esposiziun clican sön SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK.

SMACH è una open call internazionale per artisti. Per la settima edizione della Biennale SMACH, abbiamo scelto un termine ladino che fa riferimento a un oggetto: il "cu", una pietra utilizzata per affilare la falce e tagliare l’erba nei prati. Il "cu" parla di materialità, immaginazione, artigianato, evoluzione tecnica, universalità delle forme e dei bisogni fondamentali, nonché di strumenti presenti in tutto il mondo. Nei pascoli alpini e nei prati della Val Badia, ci sono ancora alcune persone che falciano a mano, affilando le loro lame con la cote.

Possibilità di Esplorazione dell’Oggetto
La cote, come detto, evoca molteplici temi e stimola numerose riflessioni: l'evoluzione umana e tecnica; l'arte dell'artigianato in continuità con i tempi più remoti; l'universalità di alcuni strumenti e gesti; la trasmissione, o la perdita, del patrimonio culturale; il presente, il passato e il futuro.
Lo scopo del bando è raccogliere visioni nate dall’osservazione, dallo studio e dalla speculazione su questo oggetto. Ci aspettiamo interpretazioni inaspettate e stimolanti, nate da un processo di “reverse engineering”, decostruendo lo strumento nelle sue possibili manifestazioni fisiche, metaforiche e metafisiche, reali o immaginate.
Vi invitiamo, quindi, a sperimentare e speculare con la vostra immaginazione attorno al soggetto-oggetto proposto. Il risultato finale potrà differire notevolmente dal punto di partenza, sia in termini di forma e materiali, sia nel linguaggio formale e nelle possibilità interpretative.

Troverete più informazioni sul bando e i siti alpini proposti su SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK.

SMACH ist eine internationale Kunstausschreibung für Künstler. Für die siebte Ausgabe der SMACH-Biennale haben wir einen ladinischen Begriff gewählt, der sich auf ein Objekt bezieht: den „cu“, einen Schleifstein, der verwendet wird, um Sensen zu schärfen, mit denen das Gras auf den Wiesen geschnitten wird. Der „cu“ spricht von Materialität, Vorstellungskraft, Handwerkskunst, technischer Evolution, der Universalität von Formen und Grundbedürfnissen sowie von Werkzeugen, die auf der ganzen Welt zu finden sind. In den alpinen Wiesen und Weiden des Gadertals gibt es noch einige Menschen, die von Hand mähen und ihre Klingen mit einem Wetzstein schärfen.

Möglichkeiten zur Erforschung des Objekts
Der Wetzstein, wie bereits erwähnt, vermittelt zahlreiche Themen und regt vielfältige Überlegungen an: die menschliche und technische Evolution; die Kunst des Handwerks in Kontinuität mit den frühesten Zeiten; die Universalität bestimmter Werkzeuge und Gesten; die Weitergabe oder der Verlust des kulturellen Erbes; die Gegenwart, Vergangenheit und Zukunft.
Wir erwarten unerwartete und anregende Interpretationen, die aus einem Prozess des „Reverse Engineerings“ hervorgehen, bei dem das Werkzeug in seine möglichen oder realen physischen, metaphorischen und metaphysischen Erscheinungsformen dekonstruiert wird.
Wir laden Sie daher ein, mit Ihrer Fantasie rund um das vorgeschlagene Subjekt-Objekt zu experimentieren und zu spekulieren. Das Endergebnis kann sich erheblich vom Ausgangspunkt unterscheiden, sowohl in Form und Materialien als auch in der formalen Sprache und den Interpretationsmöglichkeiten.

Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung und den vorgeschlagenen alpinen Standorten finden Sie auf SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK.

Peter Senoner was born in Bolzano (I) in 1970. From 1994 to 2001 he studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Over the years he made several study and work residencies: in 1997 and 2000 in New York City (USA), in 2002 and 2004 in Tokyo (JP), in 2006 and 2008 in Vienna (A), in 2011 and 2012 in Berlin (D) and in 2016 in Detroit (USA). Since 2006 he has been a lecturer at the Institut für Experimentelle Architektur at the University of Innsbruck (A) and since 2021 at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Technische Universität Rosenheim (D). From 2018 to 2020 he is a lecturer at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Free University of Bolzano (I). Since 2005 he lives and works in Chiusa, Bolzano (I).

petersenoner.com

Jasmine Deporta is a multidisciplinary visual artist mainly working in the field of photography. After her Bachelor in Design and Arts in Bolzano (IT) she completed her master's degree in Photography at Ecole Cantonal d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) in Switzerland, where she is currently based.  Wihtin her practice she works by means of photographic methods and experimental working approaches in a transdisciplinary field between different media. Her work has been part of solo and group exhibitions in Berlin, London, Tokyo and in Switzerland, Greece and Italy.

jasminedeporta.com

Zasha Colah is the curator of the 11th Berlin Biennale (14 June – 14 September 2025) and co-artistic director (with Francesca Verga) of Ar/Ge Kunst, Bolzano/Bozen. In the past years she has been living and working in between Mumbai, IN, Berlin, DE, and Turin, IT. She is a co-founder of the Clark House Initiative (Mumbai; 2010–22) and she served as curator of Indian Modern Art at JNAF/CSMVS Museum and curator of public programs at the National Gallery of Modern Art. She curated body luggage, steirischer herbst (Graz, AT; 2016), co-curated (with Luca Cerizza) the 3rd Pune Biennale Habit-co-Habit; she was part of the curatorial team of the 2nd Yinchuan Biennale, CN. As a member of Archive, a decentralized community of practice (Berlin; Dakar, SN; Milan, IT; since 2020), she co-curates exhibitions, study days, and the serial program on moving multitudes, Choreopoethics. Colah is a lecturer in Curatorial Studies at NABA in Milan (since 2018).

instagram.com/zashacolah/

Emanuele Masi, with an academic background in music, has directed his professional activity towards theatre curating and organisation. Artistic Director of the International Bolzano Dance Festival since 2013, he has relaunched the event on an international level, expanding its roots in the territory. In 2020 his project 'EDEN - dance for a single spectator', created in response to the pandemic, won the Danza&Danza Prize, while in 2022 the Politecnico di Milano awarded him the Gianluca Spina Prize for Digital Innovation. He has also served as Artistic Director of the Teatro Comunale in Bolzano and the dance seasons of the Teatro Sociale in Trento. Since 2015 he has collaborated with the Haydn Foundation of Bolzano and Trento and since 2021 he has been a consultant to the Fondazione Musica per Roma for the programming of dance activities at the Auditorium Parco della Musica and for the direction of the Equilibrio Festival, the restart of which he curated in 2022.

bolzanodanza.it
haydn.it

Stefan Sagmeister has designed for clients as diverse as the Rolling Stones and the Guggenheim Museum. He’s a two time Grammies winner and also earned practically every important international design award.
While his work is steeped graphics, he has also directed a film, created furniture, made products, designed a watch and ventured into clothing.
His books sell in the hundreds of thousands and his exhibitions have been mounted in dozens of museums around the world. His exhibit ’The Happy Show' attracted way over half a million visitors worldwide and became the most visited graphics show in history.
A native of Austria, he received his MFA from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and, as a Fulbright Scholar, a master’s degree from Pratt Institute in New York.

sagmeister.com