1 June to 15 October 2019

4th edition

Curated by Maria Rus Bojan

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For the opening, special performances by the Joan Baixas Company (Barcelona) in Castello di Brolio and Felsina and Yahon Chang (Taiwan) in Palazzo Strozzi, Florence

Showcasing works of leading contemporary artists in Chianti’s top wineries,
Art of the Treasure Hunt 2019, in its fourth edition, brings together 18 artists from eight countries.

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Eric Baudart                                             Nathalie du Pasquier
William Brickel                                        Augustas Serapinas
Edson Chagas                                          Raqib Shaw
Yahon Chang                                            Lucy Stein
Martin Creed                                            Su-Mei Tse
Liz Deschenes                                          Luc Ming Yan
Osvaldo González                                   Yan Pei-Ming
Mark Handforth                                       Sara VanDerBeek
Richard Long                                            Zheng Zhou

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In the global world of instant gratification, Martin Creed (UK) reassures us with his iconic phrases, Don’t Worry, Everything is Going to Be Alright, etc. He will make new work especially for the Borgo San Felice chapel. Turner prize winner (in 2001), Creed’s work No. 1197, heralded the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

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Castello di Brolio, home to the Ricasoli family since 1200 will host an in situ work by Richard Long (USA). This new work pays homage to Tuscany. His sculpture using resourced stones from the region to recall their churches with black and white architectural constructions speaks volumes of Italian history. Yan Pei Ming speaks of Italian history with a painting of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III and great collector and patron of the arts, displayed within the historic Castello di Brolio, along with Zheng Zhou’s paintings that oscillate between the figurative and the abstract.

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Glancing over the shoulders of history, Lucy Stein's (UK) works are a result of her “research into witchcraft, goddess culture and heraldic imagery from the Middle Ages" made in the kilns of Cornwall; displayed at Castello di Volpaia. Liz Deschenes’ conceptual minimal works are displayed in the chapel of Villa di Geggiano, alongside works by Sara VanDerBeek.

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Natalie du Pasquier, a founding member of Memphis, will display her ceramic sculpture in Felsina. Since 1987 she moved from design to painting and sculpture. In the Felsina chapel, Raqib Shaw's (Kashmir, India) intense introspective paintings talk of his past in a land that is imagined and remembered in a sanctuary of contemplation. 

On June 27th Art of the Treasure Hunt opens at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence with a special performance by Yahon Chang (Taiwan). The art of calligraphy is based on meditation, endurance and poetry. It is a departure and reference point of an abstract form of language. Calligraphy is considered the highest art form by the Chinese and the oldest language in the world. Yahon Chang’s work is shown at Castello di Brolio and Felsina. Chang participated in a Venice Biennale collateral event in 2015.

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Five chosen boutique wineries in the Chianti area host each summer Art of the Treasure Hunt. For the past 304 years, the Chianti classic region has been perfecting the art of wine. The above wineries have points of 90 and above in global wine ratings. Wine Spectator selected Volpaia Chianti Classico Reserva 2015 third out of 100 best wines in the world for 2018, while Borgo San Felice is in 11th place.

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The Art of the Treasure Hunt is produced by Luziah Hennessy.
 

Participating Wineries in Chianti Classico:

Castello di Brolio
Castello di Volpaia
Borgo San Felice
Felsina
Villa di Geggiano

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Participating Foundations and Galleries:
Galleria Apalazzo, Brescia
Galleria Continua, San Gimignano/Beijing/Les Moulins/Habana
Edouard Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong/Shanghai
Galleria Franco Noero, Torino
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill, Roma

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