Arteparco in the Abruzzo National Park: Sissi’s New Work Unveiled in the Forest

THE BOLOGNESE ARTIST IS THE 2021 PROTAGONIST OF THE EVENT THAT ADDS A NEW WORK EACH YEAR TO THE SCULPTURE PARK IN ITALY'S OLDEST PROTECTED AREA

What is Arteparco? Imagine ancient beech forests, centuries old and part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, hosting a new permanent contemporary art installation once a year.
Every summer, the newly inaugurated work joins the others, with the long-term goal of creating a vast sculpture park that becomes both a landmark and a destination. A treasure hunt through woods and clearings.

All of this has been happening since 2018 in the Abruzzo National Park, thanks to the vision of communications expert Paride Vitale and the support of the local community.“A truly authentic cultural marketing operation” in the words of Park President Giovanni Cannata, who describes this area as a “repository of beauty that must not be interpreted in a kitschy way.” That, indeed, should be the key approach when dealing with public art.

Arteparco, supported by BMW and in partnership with SkyArte, is now in its fourth edition. This year, a new collaboration with Gore-Tex was launched, offering visitors a special audio guide narrated by Victoria Cabello to explore the works. After installations by designer Marcantonio, Matteo Fato, and Alessandro Pavone, it’s now Sissi’s (Bologna, 1977) turn. Following a series of site visits, she chose a more secluded area off the main trail, in close connection with the trees. The work confirms the artist’s current creative momentum. After the early-career boom, Sissi has been consistently producing profound, engaging, unique, and coherent projects. This time, the central element is a narwhal tooth—an "unicorn"—but we’ll let Sissi tell the story herself in the accompanying video.