Seasonal Art: Cartasia

I know summer is here when I walk around Lucca in July and am confronted by larger-than-life paper sculptures: a phantom forest in Piazza San Frediano (1), a mythological armoured horse (2) under the loggia of the Palazzo Pretoria on the corner of Piazza San Michele, a surrealist right-side-up pear that morphs into an upside-down head up on the walls.

'Take Care' by Lorenzo Bergamini

'Kataphraktos' by Kamila Karst

The rules of the biennial international paper festival stipulate that all the materials used by the artists must be recycled. Sustainable environmental issues underly the themes of each festival. This suits Lucca. The province produces 80 per cent of Italy’s household paper (including Lu-paper) and 40% of its packaging and corrugated cardboard; and it’s Italy’s number one exporter of paper. Old, mostly derelict paper mills ornament many small valleys.

Old paper mill in valley north of Collodi

Another style with bales of recycled paper in yard

Nowadays the main Serchio River Valley is lined with ugly modern mills which I used to consider a blot on the landscape. They became bearable, even desirable, when I realised that they’re major providers of employment in the valley, and serve to keep families together and stem depopulation of rural villages.

This year I noticed an indoor exhibition entitled ‘Identità Liquide’ at Real Collegio, behind San Frediano. The most picturesque way to arrive is by parking in the free car park on the ring road outside the city walls and walking in through the passageway under the walls, coming out into the piazza in front of the Collegio.

Entering Lucca through its walls

The ground floor of the cloisters were furnished with attractive corrugated cardboard chairs and tables and an entirely functional table football game made of paper, in addition to an exhibition of paper creations by school children.

Surprisingly comfortable

It really works!

The grand high-ceilinged rooms of the upper floor were ideal galleries for a number of different international artists.  Here’s a walk through some of them.

Tella titled his show 'Utopian Dreams and Fanciful Scenarios'

If you keep your books in a damp library...

...you can produce wild mushrooms.

Richard Sweeney's installation

Gianfranco Gentile: painter, musician & intellectual pilgrim

Gentile: Hard to believe it's a cardboard carton.

Gentile: The car coming straight at me nearly knocked me over!

One of Paola Bazz's paper mosaics

Cartasia is over for this year. If you’re planning a trip to Lucca, put July 2016 in your diary now.

For more information about Cartasia, Biennale d’Arte Contemporanea: http://www.cartasia.it/en/biennial/presentation
​

1. ‘Take Care’ by Lorenzo Bergamini. Materials: white paper, corrugated cardboard, wrapping paper, cardboard tubes.
2. ‘Kataphraktos’ by Kamila Karst. Materials: corrugated cardboard.