Hypermaremma, Orbetello. Nomadic contemporary art project across the Tuscan area

«Hypermaremma takes art outdoors, following a calendar that does not coincide with that of the international art world». In conversation with co-founder Carlo Maria Pratis

Hypermaremma, a social promotion association 

Pursuing beauty in dialogue with the territory is the mission of Hypermaremma. The establishment is, in fact, a social promotion association. Art gallerists Carlo Maria Pratis and Giorgio Galotti launched it in 2019. Hypermaremma encourages the fruition of the area of Southern Tuscany – known as Maremma – through the intervention of emerging and contemporary artists. These are invited to relate to the history, landscape, and identity of places across the region to develop projects, installations, talks as well as performances.

The aim is to activate the territory outside the stereotypes associated to it and to reveal hidden spots unknown to locals and tourists. «In 2019», says Pratis, «Giorgio and I felt the need to bring art outside the gallery walls, overcoming its limitations. Hypermaremma takes art outdoors, following a calendar that does not coincide with that of the international art world. Opposed to the self-referentiality of gallery exhibitions, Hypermaremma encourages artists to work on a larger scale. A dialogue with a territory to which we have a link since our childhood. Further, every intervention is site-specific». 

Speeding up a territory that everyone associates with slowness

Following its foundation, the team has gained three new members. Collector and entrepreneur Lorenzo Bassetti, collector and manager Matteo d’Aloja, and Massimo Minnini, former curator at the Rome Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna. «Lorenzo and Matteo are focusing on the project’s development and communication. While Massimo supports me and Giorgio in ideating and curating Hypermaremma’s projects». 

The choice of ‘maremma’ preceding the suffix ‘hyper’ in the association’s name derives from the desire to “speed up” a territory that everyone associates with slowness. Which life is believed to have remained frozen in time, through an artistic “hyperactivity.” «Maremma does not vaunt a contemporary artistic life. Over the summer, roads are sided by fluorescent yellow billboards advertising “sagre,” country festival dedicated to local foods. In our choice of the same colour to characterize Hypermaremma’s visual identity, we ironize traditions while creating cultural alternatives».

Collaborations with artists, institutional venues and more at Hypermaremma 

In the first year of its activity, Hypermaremma has involved forty-eight artists, three institutional venues, and sixteen foundations, archives, and galleries. According to Pratis, «Hypermaremma is nomadic, changing location and opening a new project every three weeks. Moreover, we care about involving a variety of actors. They come from public institutions as well as private places that you would not imagine could host art events». 

It is the case of Pampa, an intervention by Berlin-based Thomas Krats and Sicilian Vincenzo Schillaci developed in July inside the horse riding at La Capanna di Sant’Irma, on the hills of Capalbio. Paintings by both artists were installed outside and inside the barns that are home to a number of Maremmani, an ancient breed of horses, who have been intended as the main recipients of the project. 

La Città Sommersa and Spazio Amato

From June to September, Hypermaremma collaborated with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’Antica Città di Cosa on La Città Sommersa, a group show involving artists Renata De Bonis, Michela De Mattei, Emiliano Maggi, Daniele Milvio, Rachel Monosov, Matteo Nasini, Pietro Pasolini, Alessandro Piangiamore, Benedetto Pietromarchi, Gianni Politi, Namsal Siedlecki, Piotr Skiba, and Giovanni Vetere. Installations and sculptures by the fourteen artists characterized the archaeological park of Antica Città di Cosa, on the Ansedonia promonotory on the Argentario Gulf. The aim was to create an alternative path to reading the site, its history and landscape. «The point of ‘La Città Sommersa’», Pratis explains, «was to make the archaeological site live a second life». 

In 2020, Hyperamremma overcame the difficulties of the pandemic presenting a project by Italian light artist Massimo Uberti. Over the summer, in fact, an eighteen-meter-long neon installation reading ‘Spazio Amato’ (loved space) in capital letters stood up in the WWF naturalistic oasis of the Burano Lake, in the Terre di Sacra. Located in the middle of a wheat field, one can perceive the neon from the distance at sunset, illuminating the night. The neon captioned the landscape around. This led visitors and passers-by to notice it and reflect upon its preciousness as well as the need to preserve it. As Pratis explains, «Spazio Amato can be considered as a work of land art. The Terre di Sacra have decided to purchase the piece to reinstall it there every summer. It is an achievement for us, being able to support the creation of public art».

Lampoon review: Hypermaremma 2021 edition

In comparison to the previous editions, Hypermaremma 2021 will present a constellation of events scattered across a larger area of the Maremma, including the upper part of Lazio. The third edition, in fact, has been inaugurated on May 30 with a light installation by Milanese studio Mandalaki called Hymn to The Sun. The three studio members have been called to converse with Torre di Talamonaccio, a fifteenth-century old fort overlooking the Tirreno sea from the Talamone bay.

Mandalaki has transfigured the space through the lysergic colours of their halos from the Halo Edition series. «The large ‘artificial sun‘ projected by Mandalaki on the fort’s tower makes it visible from a distance. We have also offered people the possibility to visit the fort – which is in private hands – for the first time». 

As Pratis continues, «this year we are expanding outside the cliché locations of Capalbio and its surroundings, too. In June, we will be at the Terme di Vulci, located on the border between Tuscany and Lazio. We have asked London-based artist Michela De Mattei to dialogue with the Vulci pools to develop a site specific-installation». De Mattei has used forty terracotta jars to make up a sound installation. «Michela is working on a Sinfonia per Orci. It is a live sound installation in collaboration with Palm Wine happening on July 25. A melody will be propagated in water».

Further down into the Maremma, in the heart of the Terenzi’s vineyards in Scansano – home to the production of the Morellino di Scansano wine – Hypermaremma has just inaugurated Venus Anadyomene, an installation by Emiliano Maggi. The Rome-based artist, in fact, has designed a wrought iron gate constellated by glazed ceramic pieces. Its colours – from green to yellow – recall those of the aging vines.

Private sponsorships

Further, Hypermaremma counts on private sponsorships to run its events. «In 2020, we have created a group of friends, who support the realization of our projects through donations. They also contribute to the communication of Hypermaremma as ambassadors». The 2021 edition will see Mercedes-Benz as Hypermaremma’s main sponsor. The automotive brand will, in fact, offer a number of electric cars. A neon yellow bodywork will characterize their design.

Clients and visitors could book them to do a road trip across Hypermaremma’s locations. The tour’s starting point will be the Hypermaremma Station. The place is a former seventies gas station. The Corso brothers converted it into a dairy product shop and run it. It is located in Via Aurelia km 134.4 in between Capalbio and Ansedonia. «Our collaboration with F.lli Corso is one of the partnerships we create with local producers and entrepreneurs as well as businesses, which we aim to increase». 

Thinking of future projects, Hypermaremma is also planning to widen the spectrum of artists involved. For example, it plans to include Rome-based artist Giuseppe Ducrot. As a matter of fact, the establishment would like to work with him on a permanent installation. «In my vision, Hypermaremma will become a year-long project. Moreover, it will expand into the most remote parts of the territory, including the Maremma islands».

Hypermaremma

Strada Provinciale Litoranea, 58011 Orbetello, Grosseto
Hypermaremma is a new festival of contemporary languages. It has the aim of activating the southern of Tuscany, also known as Maremma