Italian Routes. The Italian Mountains, Climate Change and Mountaineering
An Exhibition initiated and supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation
In collaboration with Macromicro Non-Profit Association
Concept and curatorship Fabiano Ventura
December 20, 2021 - February 16, 2022
The exhibition “Italian Routes. Mountains, Mountaineering, Climate Change" aims to convey to an international audience the great Italian tradition linked to mountain culture and mountaineering as a means of understanding the mountain territory, the values inherent in this environment, the importance of environmental awareness in the practices of accessing natural habitats, and the great attention paid by Italy to the protection of ecosystems.
"Italian Mountains", the central part of the exhibition (hosted in FAAB - French Associates Institute for Biotechnology and Agriculture of Drylands, at the Sde Boker Campus, located at Midreshet Ben-Gurion), is an ideal journey throughout the Alpine arc, from West to East, starting from the Gran Paradiso group, across the massifs of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and Cervino, Bernina, Ortles-Cevedale, Adamello, moving eastward to the Dolomites and the Julian Alps. The Italian route ends with a section dedicated to the Gran Sasso, the main group in the Apennines. Each of the nine mountain groups is represented by large-format photos that emphasize the evocative aspects of their landscape, and by comparative historical and contemporary images that highlight the evolution of glacial masses, underling the effects of climate change on mountain landscape.
The other section of the exhibition, "A look at the world" (exhibited in the George Evens Family Auditorium Auditorium, at the Sde Boker Campus located at Midreshet Ben-Gurion), extends the perspective to the Earth's most important mountain ranges, emphasizing the continuity of mountaineering culture at a global level. Beauty, awareness, respect for the environment are the great topics developed by the mountaineering culture starting from the Alps and extending over the years to worldwide explorations.
Retracing the steps of the project "On the trail of the glaciers" (Karakorum 2009, Caucasus 2011, Alaska 2013, Andes 2016, Himalaya 2018), this section offers a representative image of each mountain chain, with two photographic comparisons on the variations of glacial masses. The photos are accompanied by videos made during the expeditions. A further section features mountaineering equipment, historical and modern. The exhibition, scheduled for a two-year world tour between Asia, Europe, and the Americas, was inaugurated on May 20, 2021, at the “Museum of Fine Arts in Ho Chi Minh City" in Vietnam.
Fabiano Ventura, a landscape photographer specializing in environmental issues, has taken part in numerous scientific, photographic, and mountaineering expeditions. Since 2007 he has been involved in the project "On the Trails of the Glaciers" of which he is the creator and director. His sensitivity towards the growing problem of climate change has led him to focus much of his activity on the objective of raising awareness of this phenomenon among the public. With a team of researchers, photographers, and filmmakers, he documents the phenomenon of the retreat of the world's largest glaciers, disseminating the results of his work since 2007 through exhibitions, conferences, educational programs, installations, and documentaries. Fabianoventura.it
The Embassy of Italy in Israel and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv found it inspiring to present Ventura's evocative and disturbing photographic documentation of the fragility of high-altitude environments right in the heart of the Negev desert, an area no less vulnerable and equally threatened by climate change.
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 20 December 2021 until 16 February 2022 at the French Associates Institute for Biotechnology and Agriculture of Drylands (Bldg 25), "Italian Mountains" in the George Evens Family Auditorium (Bldg 19), "A look at the world".
Sunday - Thursday, 9:00 - 17:00
Friday, 9:00-12:30, group visits only.
Early reservation is required.
Entrance in accordance with the guidelines of the Health Ministry's Green Pass.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For information on arrival and group coordination, please contact Yamit, BIDR - BGU, e-mail: ittiel@bgu.ac.il, tel. 08-6563449
