'art of the treasure hunt' pairs contemporary pieces with tuscan wines

for the fourth consecutive year, art of the treasure hunt takes over the green gentle hills of chianti — one of italy’s most famous wine areas. curated by maria bojan and produced by luziah hennessey, the event showcases the works of leading contemporary artists inside some of the best wineries, complementing the rich artistic heritage of the region.

(above) richard long at brolio
(main image) edson chagas at brolio
all images by massimo listri

among these blissful landscapes of silver olive trees and geometrically placed vineyards, art of the treasure hunt brings together 18 artists from eight countries to the cellars of chianti. opening on june 27th with a performance by taiwanese artist yahong chang at palazzo strozzi in florence, the event proceeds to take over the dreamy tuscan roads, lined with tall green cypresses, to five chosen boutique wineries — castello di brolio, castello di volpaia, borgo san felice, felsina and villa di geggiano.

yahong chang at brolio

titled from where comes your voice, the fourth edition of art of the treasure hunt delves into the idea of a global world, the uniqueness of our own voices, and how these are affected by our past, present, and future. take for example artists yan pei ming and su-mei tse, both from china but living in dijon and berlin respectively. or cuban artist osvaldo gonzalez, who — throughout the use of materials only available in his home country — talks about the history of art and memory. together, the work of these international artists tell stories of historical settings.

martin creed at borgo san felice

home to the ricasoli family since 1200, castello di brolio will host an in-situ work by american artist richard long. the artwork, which pays homage to tuscany, uses resourced stones from the region to recall the black and white churches of the area. succeeding the dialogue between italy and the showcased pieces, yan pei ming is presenting a painting of cardinal alessandro farnese, grandson of pope paul III and great collector and patron of the arts.

mark handforth at brolio

taking over felsina, nathalie du pasquier — founding member of the memphis group — has installed a ceramic, totem-like sculpture. next to her, in the felsina chapel, raqib shaw’s (india) deep introspective paintings talk of his past in a land that is imagined and remembered as a sanctuary of contemplation. displayed at castello di volpaia, lucy stein’s (UK) works are the result of her research into witchcraft, goddess culture and heraldic imagery from the middle ages made in the kilns of cornwall.

altogether, art of the treasure hunt celebrates the merging of two arts while fusing past and present.

mark handforth at borgo san felice