Nature, art and culture interact at the contemporary art festival in the Val Gardena valley
The Biennale Gherdëina is taking place for the 10th time in the heart of the Dolomites, gathering an international community of artists in the Val Gardena between May and September. The 2026 edition is titled "(Future) Paradise Gardens" and is curated by Samuel Leuenberger. Participating artists include Augustas Serapinas from Lithuania and Lydia Ourahmane from Algeria, Dorota Gaweda from Poland, Bas Smets from Belgium and Judith Neunhäuserer from Italy.
Contemporary works are exhibited in public spaces. Guided tours are part of the Biennale Gherdëina - they are offered to anyone interested. In addition, a series of artist film projections were shown in 2025 in collaboration with the MUSE - Science Museum in Trento, enabling a critical and poetic perspective on the wildness of nature and ecological crises.
The Biennale Gherdëina was founded in 2008 by Doris Ghetta as a parallel event to MANIFESTA7 in South Tyrol. Once focused primarily on local wood carving, the event has taken on a more international aspect over the years and included a wider spectrum of art forms. Today, it combines sculpture, performances, conferences and talks, which often also incorporate local traditions, customs, nature and language.
