The Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj has been selected by curator Marta Papini to create the second chapter of the public art project by the Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT. A celebration of collective memory and the enduring, strengthening spirit of community.
Dogliani is a small town of about 4,500 inhabitants located in a natural basin among the southwestern hills of the Langhe region. Its name seems to derive from Dolium Januae, meaning the “Cup of Janus,” possibly a clear reference to its winemaking tradition. Despite its small size, Dogliani has not one but two historic centers: Borgo and Castello. In both, you can admire the works of the eccentric Dogliani-born architect Giovanni Battista Schellino – such as the parish church of Saints Quirico and Paolo (1859–70), the hospital (1878–1888), and the monumental entrance to the cemetery (1855–1867). In his work, Schellino combined various architectural styles, from neoclassicism to neo-Gothic.
Dogliani is also the birthplace of entrepreneur Michele Ferrero, who is said to have perfected the first solid version of Nutella in a small shop in the town center. In 1888, the town welcomed Luigi Einaudi, an Italian politician, economist, journalist, and the second President of the Italian Republic, who grew up and built his family life in this area. A museum inside the town hall traces his personal and political journey, as well as his life as a man of culture.
RADIS: A PROJECT TO ACTIVATE COMMUNITIES AS A RESPONSE TO DEPOPULATION
Dogliani could be considered a unique case in Italy: despite its small size, the town is animated by a vibrant cultural energy, made possible by a particularly engaged – and one could say enlightened – local administration. Museums (including a fully digital one dedicated to winemaking traditions and prominent local figures), exhibitions, festivals, and living local traditions all contribute to this vitality. Yet depopulation remains a pressing issue: most young people who leave for university studies in larger cities choose not to return, and inefficient transportation systems make commuting very difficult. For this reason, Dogliani was the ideal candidate for the second chapter of Radis, the public art project curated by Marta Papini, conceived and promoted by the Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT in collaboration with the Fondazione CRC. Following Giulia Cenci’s le masche in Rittana (Cuneo), this new chapter features Kosovar visual artist Petrit Halilaj.
The project’s name, Radis, means “root” in the Piedmontese dialect. Its mission is to enrich the region with public artworks situated outside traditional settings, in municipalities and communities that have experienced depopulation since World War II and whose natural environments have been shaped by human intervention. “When we arrive on these hills, we are amazed by the lush green vineyards, but if we stop to think, there’s nothing truly ‘natural’ about it”, says Marta Papini. “With Giulia Cenci it was easy – she had already worked on the theme of secondary forests, ecosystems that grow in places where other vegetation once stood, often altered or removed by human activity.”
Papini’s curatorial approach is inspired by Nuto Revelli’s literary work Il mondo dei vinti (The World of the Defeated, 1977), in which the author paints a portrait of rural life and the human condition of a minority forced to abandon their environment and way of life in the face of modernity. Following in Revelli’s footsteps, from mountains to hills to plains, Papini arrived in Dogliani – on a hill from which the Rittana valley is visible.
AN ARTWORK THAT RISES THE RUINS OF AN ABANDONED SCHOOL
“Once we had chosen the town, we conducted a series of site visits to find the most suitable location for the installation. Dogliani’s town center is already beautiful and rich, so I felt a contemporary artwork wouldn’t add much there. I asked to see sites in the surrounding areas, and once I discovered the Valdibà hamlet and the old school, I immediately thought of Petrit Halilaj,” the curator explains. Here, next to the Church of San Bartolomeo and its rectory, Halilaj will create a work from his Abetare series in place of a now unusable two-story building that served as the village school until the 1960s. The artwork, to be inaugurated on October 5, 2025, will take the form of a stylized, wall-less house inhabited by imaginary creatures inspired by school desk carvings – creatures that symbolically come together from both the Langhe and the Balkans to form a monument to the universal language of imagination and fantasy. Papini’s choice of Halilaj also carries poetic symbolism and hope: during the Balkan War, Dogliani’s firefighters – including the town’s current mayor – raised funds to send school supplies to Kosovar children. Now, a Kosovar artist returns to create a work inspired by school and childhood.
“Within the geographic area where Radis operates, we seek out communities and local governments that are especially receptive to cultural and artistic themes – those ready to host and care for contemporary artworks,” says Papini. With the Radis team, she also ensured that a local foundry was trained to maintain the protective patina of the sculpture. As with the previous Radis installation, this new chapter will also include a variety of initiatives: a public program designed for diverse audiences, educational activities for schools, and a group exhibition titled Everything You Touch Changes. Everything You Change, Changes You, also curated by Papini and featuring works from the Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT and the Fondazione CRC.
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