The Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra cordially invites you to the opening of the exhibition

ÀIVA. Traces of water. Lanzo Valleys, Piedmont, Italy (ÀIVA. Segni d’acqua. Valli di Lanzo, Piemonte, Italia)

Curated by Aldo Audisio and Laura Gallo

The opening of the exhibition will take place on April 4, 2025 at 5:00 pm in the Gallery on the Mountain at the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Gora.

Water (Italian: acqua, French: àiva), which characterizes the landscape of Italy’s Lanzo Valleys – a mountainous area of the Graician Alps located northwest of Turin, in Piedmont – will be the theme of the exhibition presented from April 4, 2025 in the Gallery on the Mountain of the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra.

The goal of the project, carried out under the auspices of the association Società Storica delle Valli di Lanzo, was to take a new look at water, highlighting its value and the need to secure and protect it. The result of a photographic reportage looking for traces of water became a hitherto unknown artistic journey through the Lanzo Valleys.

Water, in various forms and forms, is one of the basic components and elements of the mountain landscape, which accounts for about 24% of the Earth’s surface. It is present and indispensable in virtually all aspects of human life, and its resources in mountainous areas are particularly important for maintaining balance in the natural, human
and landscape environment of the surrounding areas. Water is a source of life and a valuable substance regulating life processes, as scientists point out, in ecological
and natural aspects, high mountain hydrological processes shape the global water supply.

Water is also a phenomenon that aesthetically delights in the variety of forms it takes, the originality of its shapes, shades and reflections. From shimmering ponds of various shades of color, through smooth covers of snow slopes and glacial crevasses, to phenomenal forms of ice and frozen crystal formations. Water is a force and an element that captivates with the dynamism and power of waterfalls and streams flowing through the valleys. Water is also therapeutic due to its sonic qualities.

The artists’ search revealed the most significant manifestations of the presence of water in the landscape of the Italian mountains and the images associated with it. During a photographic plein-air project lasting more than a year, 14 photographers traversed more than 1,500 kilometers of muddy roads in the four valleys that make up the Lanzo Valleys: the Val Grande, Valli d’Ala, Val di Viù and Valle del Tesso. The result was black and white photographic prints, selected from thousands of shots. The main purpose of the photographs, addressed to a wide audience, is not only to document the environment, but above all to try to restore the atmosphere of the place and highlight the beauty of the reflections, transparency and chiaroscuro of the water. At the same time, the exhibition is the realization of the primary objectives pursued by the Association: by disseminating the qualities of the Lanzo Valleys – increasing knowledge of them, even in areas that are much more geographically remote.

The Àiva exhibition combines the presentation of the results of this long work of photographers for a wide audience, especially for lovers of the Lanzo Valleys area and for experts in photography and landscape aesthetics. In addition, the exhibition is an invitation to explore the presented area, where one can immerse oneself in the charming alpine landscapes in search of ever-new proposals.

The presented exhibition is realized within the framework of the cooperation of the International Union of Mountain Museums IMMA. The first edition of the exhibition took place between 31.01-16.03.2025 at the Dr. Titus Chałubiński Tatra Museum in Zakopane.

Project implemented by Società Storica delle Valli di Lanzo

Collaboration: AT03 Autorità d’ambito Torinese

Exhibition realizations in Poland under the care of: the Dr. Tytus Chałubiński Tatra Museum in Zakopane and the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra.

Executive Coordination: Aldo Audisio

Photo coordination: Andrea Maina

Photographers: Enrico Barale, Piervincenzo Bondonio, Maria Bufano, Luigi Casavecchia, Alberto Dagna, Alberto Dumassi, Pierangelo Gambotto, Aurora Intile, Andrea Maina, Federico Moschietto, Alessandro Pereno, Maurizio Rosati, Giuseppe Scrima, Giuliana Vittonetto

In collaboration with: Giannetto Massazza

Coordination and content supervision of the Polish edition: Tatra Museum – Emilia Pomiankiewicz-Wagner, Magdalena Gryguś

Jelenia Góra, Karkonosze Museum, Julita Zaprucka, director

Zakopane, Tatra Museum, Michal Murzyn, director

© Società Storica delle Valli di Lanzo, Lanzo Torinese 2020

Giant Mountains Museum