A new space for contemporary art surrounded by nature opens in the Pistoia Apennines

On August 5, 2023, insideDynamo Oasis in thePistoia Apennines, OCA Oasy Contemporary Art, a place that encompasses two souls: that of a nature oasis and that of a space for contemporary art, opens to the public. It can be reached only on foot, following a path through the woods, a walk of about 45 minutes. For the entire day on Saturday, August 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., to celebrate the opening, OCA will have free admission. Until Nov. 5, it will be open Wednesday through Sunday, also from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission at 12 euros (children under 10 free).

Inaugurating this new space, which sees the artistic direction of Emanuele Montibeller, will be two exhibition projects and two artists-David Svensson and Massimo Vitali; both projects were designed specifically for OCA Oasy Contemporary Art and based on the idea that protecting nature does not mean prohibiting access to it, but living it according to the culture of respect and knowledge.

Oasi Dynamo, which stretches for about a thousand hectares, reaching up to 1100 meters above sea level, was once the hunting reserve of the Orlando family, which on the Pistoia mountains, in 1911, had founded the factory of SMI, the Italian Metallurgical Society. Reclaimed in 2006, the reserve is now a predominantly forested area, home to rare plant species and a wide variety of wildlife. Partly dedicated to the traditional activities of agriculture and animal husbandry, the oasis has over the years also wanted to open up to hospitality, eco-tourism, and the dissemination of a sustainable culture of the environment. And now it also opens to art, with total respect for the place. In harmony with the territory of the reserve, Emanuele Montibeller in fact proposes an experiential path in nature, combining the beauty of the landscape with environmental exhibitions and installations, in dialogue with nature itself.

The Great Oasis
The way we live, now
Photographs by Massimo Vitali

Following the path through the forest, after walking in the shade of chestnut trees for about 45 minutes, OCA welcomes the public to a sunny plateau, from which there is a splendid view of all the surrounding mountains. Here, in the space that until recently was a huge cow barn, is the exhibition space, which opens with Massimo Vitali’s exhibition, curated by Giovanna Calvenzi, La Grande Oasi. The way we live, now. The project created for Oasy Contemporary Art has humans and the land as protagonists, in a dialogue in which human presence is the very measure of the landscape. For this new work, Vitali has renounced his technique of choice, namely shooting from above a five-meter tripod, to instead respect a “fair distance” that allows him to witness the dialogue between man and nature. Instead, shots from above are found in the exhibition, in a selection of works made on European beaches since 1995.

Home of the world
Installation by David Svensson

Beyond the museum space, in a path that follows the curve of the hill, stands Home of the World, Swedish artist David Svensson ’s work made from hundreds of flags. A symbol of national identities, flags are the graphic, or rather iconographic, expression of popular feeling, history, traditions and culture. The path created by Svensson for OCA, several hundred meters long, features a large collage with all the flags of the world, which have, however, been de-constructed and reassembled in a novel way. Each individual flag loses its distinctive character and is contaminated by the juxtaposition of shapes and colors with the others. Among the intentions of the work is precisely to question any distinction in a national key that flags normally carry.

OCA today and tomorrow

The theme of coexistence between man and nature will be developed by OCA in the coming years as well, proposing each season a new exhibition in the museum space, and new installations in the green space, which will then remain in the oasis, with the aim of creating a place of art over time. Emanuele Montibeller has already invited architects Michele De Lucchi, Stefano Boeri, Kengo Kuma, Alejandro Aravena, and Matteo Thun, artists Diana Scherer, Edoardo Tresoldi, Davide Quayola, and fuse*, poet Mariangela Gualtieri, philosopher Emanuele Coccia, writer Leonardo Caffo, and many others for the future. Giovanna Calvenzi has instead been entrusted with a three-year project dedicated to photography, which after Vitali will see Joan Fontcuberta and Thomas Struth as guests. Finally, to reflect on the theme of the relationship between man and the environment, installations will be created under the care of Diletta Cancellato that aim to reconnect textiles and nature, challenging designers, stylists and artists to find new solutions that can coexist and nurture ecosystems.

At the reserve’s Visitor Center, on the installation’s lawn, the Casa Luigi restaurant will be in operation, offering gastronomic offerings upon reservation. Visitors can use it or enjoy the lawn and outdoor spaces.

For info: www.oasycontemporaryart.com

Photo by Mattia Marasco.

A new space for contemporary art surrounded by nature opens in the Pistoia Apennines

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