Please introduce yourself.

My name is Giacomo Bianchi, and I am the President of Arte Sella.


How did you come to Arte Sella, and what led you to choose to work here?

I first came to Arte Sella as a photographer. There was a need for someone willing to document the artworks and continue the work of the historical photographer, and it seemed like the ideal world for me.

I came here because I felt the need for a place like this: a place where I could express my creativity, which had become somewhat blocked, and dedicate all of myself and my abilities to an extraordinary and unique project.

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What is the rhythm of your days at Arte Sella? How does it change throughout the seasons?

It is a fluid rhythm that is constantly changing. Arte Sella is a living organism in continuous transformation, so every day is a discovery and different from the one before.

It is very difficult to establish a fixed routine because Arte Sella sometimes demands a great deal and at other times much less. You adapt to this transformation, to this constant change, and that is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.

Is there a particular moment of the day or year when you feel especially connected to this place?

Perhaps the most beautiful moment is at the end of the day, after a full and intense day in which this place has been experienced by hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

When everything becomes quiet again, the sun sets, and you take a moment to look back on what has been accomplished, you realize how fortunate you are to work here.

It is the moment when even the effort required to manage such a complex and multifaceted place finds its fulfillment, and the work of the day takes on meaning.

What kind of relationship have you built with Arte Sella through living it every day? Is there a place, path, or artwork you feel particularly attached to?

The relationship with Arte Sella is very symbiotic. For those who, like me, have chosen this place and this work, it is more a life choice than a professional one. You feel deeply connected to this environment, the artworks, the people who experience them, and the artists themselves.

It is very difficult to create a hierarchy among the artworks because each one is like a child to us. We witness its birth, its growth, and eventually its end. For that reason, it is hard to say what one loves more or less about this place.

Of course, some works resonate with us more than others, just as they do with visitors. We hope that everyone who comes here finds something they can connect with. Not everything has to appeal to everyone or become part of their lives.

The same is true for us. Some works feel closer, perhaps because the relationship with a particular artist was more intense or because we invested more of ourselves in bringing the project to life.

Even so, I would not feel comfortable saying that one thing is more important than another. For me, Arte Sella is truly one of a kind.


How do you move through and observe Arte Sella during your work? What details do you notice that often escape those who visit for only a few hours?

It is all about the details. Coming from a photography background, I look at Arte Sella through the lens of a camera, both literally and metaphorically.

I can see things that others do not because I know much of what happened before. Having followed the creation of the artworks, we know all their technical details and understand, for example, how each one reacts to its surroundings.

We also have the privilege of observing Arte Sella continuously over time. Perhaps that is the most interesting perspective: being able to see it even when no one else does.

In winter, after a heavy snowfall, Floriano and I are often the first to arrive. The details reveal themselves immediately, and they are details that perhaps no one else will ever see.

There are beautiful stories hidden in these moments. As soon as it snows, for example, Edoardo Tresoldi’s work becomes a sort of ice cube. It lasts only briefly because when the sun comes out, the metal warms up and the ice melts. Arriving first, we have the privilege of witnessing it.

It is the privilege of the time we spend in this place: not a fleeting glance, but a constant and continuous observation.

What does it mean to work in a place where art, landscape, and natural conditions are constantly changing?

It means entering into the flow of things and of nature itself, learning to be open to change.

As someone trained as an engineer, I sometimes find it difficult not to have control over what happens because I would like everything to depend on me. Arte Sella has taught me to accept that control is often impossible and perhaps should not even exist.

Arte Sella is a wonderful school, not only professionally but also in the way it teaches a particular approach to life: letting go and allowing things to unfold naturally.

This happens with artworks as they transform, but also with projects as they develop. Sometimes we have a project in mind and would like to make it happen immediately, but for various reasons we must postpone it.

We wait for the right conditions to arrive. It is a way of being and of living: learning to stay within the flow of things, knowing that some aspects can be controlled while others simply happen.


What are the main challenges of caring for a place like Arte Sella, where change, deterioration, and the passage of time are part of the artworks themselves?

The challenge at Arte Sella is constant. On one hand, it is a park, a place that welcomes visitors and therefore must be cared for, safe, and welcoming.

On the other hand, everything changes quickly. The challenge is maintaining a balance between these two dimensions: the more technical aspects of control and monitoring, and the poetic and imaginative dimension, together with the desire to be part of nature’s cycle.

It is beautiful to see artworks age and deteriorate; this is part of what we believe gives Arte Sella its value. At the same time, a deteriorating artwork can present challenges, and we need to understand how to communicate that change to people.

The challenge lies precisely there: finding again each day a balance that is never fully defined.

Is there a daily gesture, perhaps one that visitors rarely notice, that you think best represents what it means to care for Arte Sella?

In my view, the most beautiful and hidden gesture, something common to everyone yet given an even deeper meaning at Arte Sella, is sharing a coffee.

When our cook offers a coffee to an artist, it means: “I am taking care of you, of your being here to create.”

That awakening, that fresh start every morning at Arte Sella, is a very simple gesture of care and hospitality toward our artists, but it is also a metaphor for the welcoming spirit of this place.


After experiencing it every day, what still continues to surprise you?

Arte Sella never stops surprising, partly because it is constantly changing.

I believe the real answer lies in the artists and in our deep trust in what they can bring here. Every time it is something new. No matter how much we try to imagine what an invited artist might create at Arte Sella, the result is always a discovery and an opportunity to challenge our assumptions.

Sometimes we would like to control ideas as well, but it is wonderful to let go and know that a new artwork, a new creation, will forever change this place and ourselves.

It does so not only through the growth of the park, but also through the skills and knowledge it requires from us, because every artwork brings new learning opportunities for me, for Floriano, for Rosa, and for the rest of the Arte Sella team.

Each time, all of us must learn something new. We never stop learning and can never become complacent. The moment we do, I believe we would lose something essential about the spirit of Arte Sella.

The fact that almost all of us have been here for so many years is proof that this place continues to inspire us and offer new possibilities.

Montura and Arte Sella have been collaborating for almost twenty years. What do you think has made this relationship so enduring, and what values do the two organizations share?

It is a long-term partnership, and when a relationship lasts this long, it means it is built on solid foundations.

From the very beginning, it was clear that everything was rooted in a shared set of values. I believe the most important of these is cultural value.

For us, it is rare and extraordinary to find a company that wants to stand beside us not only from an economic perspective, but also to share in a cultural process. It shows that worlds which may seem far apart, such as business and cultural enterprise, can find common ground and create synergies that go beyond simply supporting one another. It means co-creating.

I believe Montura has been one of the companies most attentive to Arte Sella over the years, not only to the cultural product itself, but also to what we do and how we do it. It has shown interest not only in the outcomes or the quality of the artworks and the place, but also in Arte Sella’s way of working.

The same has happened from our side toward Montura. First and foremost, we found people and relationships, and through those relationships we were able to build projects together. That does not happen often, and I think it is truly important.

For us, having partners of this level is almost a privilege. Everything feels coherent and genuine. There is nothing forced in the relationship. Each party understands its role while sharing a common vision of the world, of what it means to be in nature, and how that should be done, both from a technical and a cultural perspective.

What I have always appreciated is this ongoing dialogue between technique, product development, and practical production on one side, and the desire to place them in the service of something meaningful on the other. It is not simply about selling or producing for the sake of producing, but about creating together a new way of being in the world.