This year many were drawn to Bergell in Graubünden because of the art. In July, the mountain region booked more than a third more overnight stays than the rest of Graubünden.
The concept: From June to September, various works of art can be admired in Val Bergell. But not all in one place – the art leads from the meadow to the village fountain. Silvia Hofmann is on the board of directors of the Bergell Biennale and knows what is behind the success.
SRF: Bergell is very isolated and difficult to reach, even from Chur. Isn’t it paradoxical that it attracted so many audiences?
Silvia Hofmann: It really is. But we have found that people who are interested in art and especially in contemporary art make the decision to undertake this long journey.
That takes time and costs money. But most of the guests are enthusiastic and come back.
What are the reasons for the great success of the Biennale Bregaglia, which took place for the second time this year?
I see two main reasons: Aside from the quality of the exhibition in question, there is acceptance among the general public. We won a community vote that awarded us a performance agreement for the Biennial.
On the other hand, the success is also due to the very good cooperation with the local tourism promotion, which the Biennale includes in its marketing.
Legend:
At the last Biennale Bregaglia, Nevin Aladağ focused on the river with «Colour Floating». For this she worked with colored stockings.
Biennale Bregaglia / Michel Gilgen
Why is it so well anchored in the population?
On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that we have long been involved with contemporary art exhibitions in the region together with Luciano Fasciati. He originally comes from Bergell.
Bregaglia doesn’t stop at the Swiss border.
On the other hand, we enable the inhabitants of Bergell to rediscover places or to recall places that they haven’t been to for a long time and that they perhaps knew from hearsay.
Legend:
Alexandra Navratil’s “The Fluttering Being” found shelter in a container on the outskirts of Vicosoprano in 2022.
Biennale Bregaglia / Michel Gilgen
This leads to wow effects and thus to word-of-mouth propaganda. And that is very important for acceptance.
So the Biennale doesn’t fly in like a spaceship in the summer months and then take off again?
No way. She leaves adventures and experiences behind, also when it comes to working together. We have a working group in Bergell that supports us in every way. For example, she takes over supervision and provides us with technical support. Then there are the hotels and restaurants.
The next Biennale Bregaglia will take place in 2024. How do you want to repeat the success or even increase it?
We are now evaluating and discussing whether we should choose a different format when selecting the artists, for example.
We would also like to expand our network to Northern Italy. Bregaglia doesn’t stop at the Swiss border in Castasegna, but extends all the way to Chiavenna. The next edition will include the whole Val Bregaglia. And that extends to Italy.
The conversation was conducted by Sarah Herwig.