The third edition of Una Boccata d’Arte - a widespread contemporary art project by Fondazione Elpis, in collaboration with Galleria Continua and with the participation of Threes Productions - takes place until 18th September 2022 throughout Italy and promotes a coming together of contemporary art with the country’s artistic and scenic heritage through art installations, exhibitions and performances by 20 artists in 20 villages, one for each region.

The village of Morgex (AO) in Valle d’Aosta will welcome Ai camminatori di storie by the artist Antonio Della Guardia (1990, Salerno, Italy) and curated by Matthew Noble, a site-specific intervention inspired by the history and the identity of the village, conceived after a short residency period and exploration of the territory. The project focuses on the bond that the locals have with the valley, and in particular on their visceral tradition of wood carving. An instinctive process of pure expressive and personal necessity which, resulting from an endemic relationship with the mountain, celebrates the wood itself as the distinctive and representative soul of the local area. Starting from this aesthetic and cultural influence, the artist's project involves seven unique sculptures. These are walking sticks made of various types of wood with different shapes and heights, each characterised by the addition of different aluminium objects and by performative instructions engraved along the stem. The sculptures installed in various points of the village and supported by minimal steel structures anchored to the ground, can be taken by the inhabitants of the village and used while exploring the mountains, to then be returned to the same place on the way back. Designed to be used every day of the week, each is a starting point from which to embark on an array of activities that can be done in the Aosta Valley mountains. Practically useful as walking sticks for explorers, during the journey the sculptures become objects that inspire the imagination. They give way to poetic performances, in which the connection between the orator and the environment is shown to be meticulously caring and able to remodel time and reality. As Antonio Della Guardia stated: "It is perhaps from the valley’s mountains that one experiences the truest sky. This is why it is important to protect the access to it and help walkers to find it".

Una Boccata d’Arte started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic: a unanimous and original project that’s akin to a unique cultural itinerary that each year invites the public to discover 20 new Italian villages, rich with centuries old traditions and natural beauty. Thanks to their small size, these villages become the perfect place for an authentic and intimate contemporary art experience that is unique for the surprising dialogue that it generates between the surrounding area, the artworks, the local people and the visitors. The installations contribute to an increase in local tourism; they are aimed at a broad and diverse audience, inviting us to rediscover the history and beauty of Italy, with a fresh perspective.

“Una Boccata d'Arte is a widespread project that involves local communities in beauty and culture throughout Italy. Since its conception in the midst of the pandemic, this project was proven to consolidate its original purpose of encouraging local communities and the art world, in order to gather together a network of artists, curators, associations and local entities today, that increases year by year”, explains Marina Nissim, President of Fondazione Elpis. “With the participation of several artists from abroad in this upcoming third edition, an open dialogue between Italy and the current international situation is instated”.