An 1800s estate in the Sicilian hinterland is the setting for a video art exhibition that investigates the issues of nature and man from an unusual point of view.
One of the most innovative artistic mediums meets the splendor and history of an ancient Sicilian palace built in 1886 by the noble Don Salvatore Zocco. Dimora delle Balze, a romantic “masseria” (Italian for farmhouse) immersed among the olive trees and the rolling hills of the Iblea Valley, for two years has hosted 8 albe, a video art exhibition curated by Carolina Ciuti, which in a short time has achieved public and critical acclaim. This year’s edition (August 1 – 29), Tra le increspature: riflessioni di una storia oceanica (Between the Ripples: Reflections on an Oceanic Story), had water and the ocean as its common thread. The theme was explored by international video artists through languages ranging from documentary to fiction. Among the names of the recently concluded edition, there are also Johanna Billing, Fito Conesa and Camila Beltrán. Elena Lops, owner of Dimora delle Balze and avid contemporary art enthusiast, tells us more about it.
How did the idea of creating a contemporary art festival with a focus on video art, in Noto in the splendid setting of Dimora delle Balze, come about?
8 albe is a project that has been in gestation for almost five years. For some time, we had been thinking about how to bring this space to life by bringing our passion for contemporary art to the public. We are close to various artists and designers and, talking to them, we thought it would be interesting to create a relationship between a contemporary medium such as video art and the ancient-flavored spaces of Dimora delle Balze such as the winter courtyard – the space where the screening currently takes place. We evaluated various curators and chose to call for the first edition Carolina Ciuti who for more than eight years was the director of the LOOP Festival in Barcelona.
It was a real gamble, to bring more than seventy people in the hinterland of Sicily on the opening night of the first edition and screen films such as Lake Valley by Rachel Rose or The Knots we knot by Bárbara Sánchez Barroso and Adriana Vila Guevara; and to arrive at this second edition already sold out during the opening. On this occasion the video works of Johanna Billing and Camila Beltrán were present.
Where does the name “8 albe” come from?
The title of the project 8 albe comes from a feeling that you experience when you arrive at the naturalistic site where Dimora delle Balze is located, where you can breathe a sense of enchantment: it is as if time and space took on a new shape. This is why we thought of a new dawn, which does not exist, the eighth. But eight is also the number of infinity, a theme dear to us, as well as the oneiric and the dream.
This second edition, entitled Tra le increspature: riflessioni di una storia oceanica, is dedicated to water and the fragile ocean ecosystem. A very interesting reflection, especially if we consider that Sicily is an island and much of its sustenance depends on the sea that surrounds it.
Yes, the main theme we have chosen to investigate in this second edition, together with the curator Carolina Ciuti, is water and the ocean. They are explored as natural elements, cultural devices and as a stage for infinite exchanges. The global ocean is the result of a symphony of interconnected seas, each with its own identity but all part of a single dynamic system. Among these, the Mediterranean Sea occupies a significant place, bathing the Italian coasts and, more specifically, those of Sicily. The ocean and therefore the sea are certainly vital elements of our world and also crucial indicators of the health of our planet. And at this precise moment our ecosystem is suffering, we “in our own way” would like to bring our contribution. Many artists deal with the eco-social theme but with a new and surprising narrative.
8 albe seems to have a strong vocation for sustainability and for environmental and nature issues. In fact, the first edition (2023) has explored the concepts of kinship and coexistence between different species.
We are very attentive to the issues of sustainability, nature and the environment. Our projects also include our completely organic agrifarm: Passo Ladro. 8 albe will always address themes related to nature and artists know how to read the contemporary so the issues are linked even without an explicit will. The first edition of 8 albe was entitled FOUR ROOTS. Notes on an idea of kinship and investigated the spatial and temporal relationships that are generated in a more or less unexpected way between the animal and plant worlds. The title was inspired by the theory of the four elements of Empedocles of Agrigento, according to which nature cannot have a single constituent element, but four roots: water, air, earth, fire. According to this theory, all the changes that occur in nature are due to the mixing and separation of the four roots.
How were the artists and projects of this edition selected?
Carolina Ciuti’s selection was guided by sensitivity towards the theme of the exhibition. The curator focused on artists who demonstrated a deep connection with these themes, both conceptually and formally. Another fundamental criterion was geographical representation: she wanted to include artists from different areas of the world, in order to offer a broader and more multifaceted vision of the stories and cultures linked to the oceans. We believe that a plurality of perspectives is essential to address such a vast and complex theme. In some cases, she also chose artists with whom she had already collaborated in the past, particularly in curatorial projects in Barcelona, knowing that their work could further enrich the event.
Through which languages and artistic approaches have they addressed the complex theme of water and oceans?
The works selected for this exhibition are all videos and are characterized by a great variety of languages and approaches. Some artists have opted for fiction, others for documentary; in some cases, the chosen approach is poetic, while in others it is openly political. This diversity allows the theme of water and oceans to be explored from very different angles, offering the public a rich and multifaceted experience. In some works, moreover, images play a predominant role, whether they are archive or filmed directly by each artist, while in others the text – presented in the form of subtitles or voiceover – takes on a central importance. Music is undoubtedly a common element that links many of the selected works, creating a sonic dimension that further enriches the visual experience and amplifies the emotional impact of the themes addressed. This variety of artistic languages reflects the complexity of the theme itself and the multiplicity of perspectives that surround it.
I read that among your future goals there is the desire to expand the festival beyond the borders of Noto. How do you intend to pursue this goal?
Yes, this is our goal for the third edition. We would like to be able – with the help of a call – to enter the social fabric that surrounds us, also collaborating with the Institutions. This year we have done it even if in a silent way – we have scheduled two moments of meeting with the Visual Arts students of the MADE Program Academy of Syracuse and the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo.
For the third edition we hope to be able to bring the media that we prefer such as video, sound, or installation inside closed historical spaces that we would like to open for the occasion. In doing so, Dimora delle Balze circulates culture and messages – this in a certain sense also has an educational value for the public.
LINK
- NINETY PERCENT OF EVERYTHING: Interview with the curator Maria Pina Usai - October 2, 2026
- Christina Nakou: the fragility of matter as a metaphor for the human condition - July 3, 2026
- The Island: Hito Steyerl at Osservatorio Fondazione Prada in Milan - December 19, 2025
