Donkey Invasion 2024: Contemporary art in an open-air museum

The 16th edition of the contemporary art exhibition in Dizzasco will be inaugurated on 28 July, transforming the village in the Val d'Intelvi into an open-air museum with new installations and a dedicated app.

The Friends of Dizzasco and Muronico Association, with its President Rina Bernasconi, in collaboration with the artist and curator Gaia Fiorina Carraro, is pleased to announce the inauguration of the 16th edition of the contemporary art exhibition "Donkey Invasion". The highly anticipated event, which has now reached a prominent position in the local cultural panorama, will be held on 28 July 2024 at 5.30 pm in the central square of Dizzasco. A welcome reception is planned to welcome the participants, followed by a guided tour that will reveal the novelties of this edition and accompany guests to discover the fascinating streets of the village.

The first edition of the festival dates back to 2007. Since then, the Association has collected year after year a collection of contemporary art works dedicated to the figure of the donkey, a popular legend and symbol of the municipality. The permanent installations and the various exhibition rooms scattered throughout the town transform the village of Dizzasco into an open-air museum. For this edition, the artist and curator Gaia Fiorina Carraro, doctor in contemporary art at the Universidad de La Laguna, proposes a rereading of the collection. By rediscovering archive works, it explores the multiple interpretations that artists from different backgrounds have given to the theme of the donkey as an identity archetype. This character embodies playfulness and invites you to approach the work with a fresh and innocent look.

During the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Aldo Riva will present the new graffiti by local artist Luca Passini, which will enrich the permanent collection. It will also be an opportunity to celebrate the activation of an app dedicated to the site-specific Museum of Contemporary Art, conceived by Patrizia Maspero and Rina Bernasconi and created with the support of the municipal administration and implemented thanks to the professionalism of Pietro Rodolfo Masera and Tommaso Verzegassi. This will be followed by a guided tour with the curator, who will lead the participants to discover the permanent works and exhibition rooms, describing the imagery of the donkey on a walk through the streets of Dizzasco.

This year's event takes on a particular value since it is included in the broader program of the PNRR project "The culture that welcomes - Comacini villages network", promoted by the Ministry of Culture. This project places the identity of the territory, its history and its legends at the center, enhancing the cultural heritage for those born in these places and for all those who wish to know the Valley better.