This is the theme of the 11th Edition of Lucca Biennale Cartasia, the paper art and architecture event to be held from July 30 to September 25, 2022 in Lucca, Italy, in new prestigious locations and with many new features
The event, supported by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca (Italy), the City Council, companies including Ecoverde, Wepa, Fosber, Tubicom, Smurfit Kappa, Kartos, Flyeralarm, and under the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment, Federazione Carta e Grafica, Comieco, Assocarta, the Province and the Order of Architects and Landscape Architects of Lucca, has a special green focus this year. The theme of this edition is «The white page», which inspired the Lubica 22 visual, of the blindfolded face that turns its gaze in search of something, despite not being able to see towards what. The message is of a dogged and hopeful search for a better reality that we must strive to create, without waiting for someone else to provide us with a solution for a better present and thus also a better future.
The outdoor exhibition in the squares of the historic center
Like every two years, the Biennale offers an ambitious outdoor exhibition with 7 international artists hosted in residence for a month in the Tuscan city to create monumental sculptures made of paper and cardboard that remain on display in the squares of Lucca’s historic center for the two-month exhibition.
In addition to the winning artists of the call, each year the Lubica invites an artist with particular experience in paper art to participate as a guest at the residencies, this year it is Olivier Bertrand – artist by invitation (France).
The guest artists of the Biennial will work at the former Bacchettoni Gymnasium, with the support of a technical team that the Biennial puts together each edition, helping to create and strengthen know-how in the area of paper and cardboard. With the occasion, the Biennial has chosen as accommodation for the artists, the Convictus, a unique and charming complex with a garden, common areas and completely renovated rooms, all designed to create an evocative and dedicated atmosphere, where artists, even after work can get together and share their experiences, knowledge, passions. Very important moments that make the Lubica experience even more unique.
The Biennial is also committed to involving the students of the Passaglia art high school, who in this way concretely experience the world of art, already deal with artists who are experts in working with the material paper and cardboard and are immersed in a stimulating and international environment, a valuable opportunity for those who aspire to enter the world of arts and crafts.
The winning artists of the 2022 outdoor competition
Daniele Cornacchia, with the artwork «Choice» (Italy)
Eu Tazé, with the artwork «Entrust» (Peru)
Kazuya Katagiri, with the artwork «Koyori Tower» (Japan)
Papier Atelier, with the artwork «Simurgh» (Turkey)
Sebastian Blomqvist, with the artwork «Emerging from Obscurity» (Sweden)
Zofia Chamera, with the artwork «Shedding Fear» (USA)
The indoor exhibition in the halls of the Ducal Palace and Villa Bottini
In the prestigious halls of Palazzo Ducale and Villa Bottini there is the indoor exhibition, fashion and the focus on the host country – this year Germania –, whose exhibition is curated by Giacomo Pecchia. The Performance section, becomes an annual event, which with this edition launches a new name and a new artistic direction. The paper is always at the center of each theater, dance and/or performance and will be concentrated in the first days of September 2022, at the evocative location of the casermetta del Boia, also known as the Museum of the Francigena and at the Scuderie Ducali, in the historic center. More details will be announced with the publication of the program in late June 2022.
Workshops dedicated to children and young people
Once again this year they are held in collaboration with the Recuperarti Association of Pietrasanta, and are held every Tuesday in August and September at the Executioner’s Barracks, whose entrance is from the walls surrounding the historic center. The focus is on learning papermaking techniques, reusing the materials that the Lubica outdoor artists left behind at the conclusion of the making of their works. Thus, the reuse of this material is emphasized and the participant is brought closer to the world of art, remembering that it is a means of self-expression.
Architecture and design projects
For the architecture section, Lubica presents architecture and design projects in paper and cardboard that open the door to research and development of this material. The goal is to know and overcome its limitations, to expand its uses and thus stimulate to new business or production models, to cope with a change that the market requires. By the end of the year, Lubica will make available an Isbn-coded publication, downloadable from the website, with studies of the material, architectural designs using the paper and cardboard material, which can be consulted free of charge. In the first week of September, a day dedicated to Architecture in Paper will take place, aimed at architects’ associations, designers, architects, students and teachers of architecture faculties and professionals in the field, to present and discuss some of these studies and to deepen the use of this material in this sector.
The other events: Network Days and Lubica OFF
On the two days before the opening of the exhibitions, July 29 and 30, as usual, the Ne.d (Network Days), will take place, a must-attend event for industry professionals, curators, artists, students, lecturers, designers, architects and companies as well as art enthusiasts and others. Network Days is a state-of-the-art papermaking narrative, as well as networking moments and workshops, free for artists, on papermaking techniques. This year’s overall themes are: Paper and Therapy; Paper, Sustainability and Innovation; Paper and Processing Techniques; and Paper, Architecture and Design.
Finally, we come to the last section, Lubica OFF. Inspired by Europe’s most important Industrial Paper District, the Lubica OFF was created to disseminate paper works in unusual locations such as clothing stores, clubs and so on, thus creating the Paper Art District, in the historic center. A play on words that invites to know and remember, the economic importance that the plain of Lucca has on paper production, in the world.