Francesco Alberico
Vogelrat. Il consiglio degli uccelli
a cura di Valerio Panella and Valentina Merz
Francesco Alberico, Verso i Balcani, 2022. Watercolor on paper, 14,8 x 21 cm. Courtesy dell'artista
"Vogelrat. Il consiglio degli uccelli emerges from a process in which imagination becomes a space of relation and an opportunity for self-narration, within a creative workshop involving groups and neurodivergent individuals. The winged creatures give form to identities and desires, making visible what often remains at the margins."
Vogelrat. Il consiglio degli uccelli by Francesco Alberico is a participatory art project that brings together poetic research, a strong connection to place and social value. Born from a dialogue with the local community, it involves the social and health care facility Seeburg in Bressanone in a shared creative process.
Through a reinterpretation of South Tyrolean legends, participants imagine and draw winged creatures, which are then collectively transformed into textile works made from recycled materials. The installation gives shape to a symbolic “colony” of birds that will inhabit Via Città Alta in the historic center, intertwining identities, memories, and desires, and offering visibility to often marginalized subjectivities.
Vogelrat. Il consiglio degli uccelli thus takes form as a space of relation and representation, where art becomes a tool for listening, inclusion and transformation of the urban and social context.
Thanks to: the Tourist Cooperative of Chiusa, Barbiano, Velturno and Villandro; SEEBURG – Facility for people with disabilities in Bressanone; the Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Chiusa; the Civic Museum of Chiusa; Albert from Bar Albert; and the entire community of Chiusa, which supported the project with great enthusiasm.
Francesco Alberico (Pescara, Italy, 1996) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in L’Aquila and at St. Mbaaga Major Seminary in Kampala, Uganda. He is currently a PhD candidate in Visual Arts and Creative Practices at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. His practice unfolds across sculpture, performance, and drawing, investigating the relationship between imagination and public space. His work has been presented in public and private institutions and exhibition spaces, including Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (IT, 2020), Monitor Gallery, Pereto (IT, 2021), Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary, Trevi (IT, 2021), and Eukaryote, Tokyo (JP, 2025). In 2019, he was among the winners of the Premio AccadeMibac, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity and Urban Regeneration in collaboration with Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma.
Valerio Panella, born in Trento in 1984, is an architect and designer with a degree in Sustainable Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano. His work engages with the arts, with a focus on sustainability, landscape, and environmental issues. He is a member of Arte Sella and has been the regional curator for Trentino-Alto Adige for Una Boccata d’Arte since its first edition.
Valentina Merz, born in Trento in 1990, is an architect educated at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio and co-founder of Atelier Remoto, winner of the Italian Prize for Best Young Architect in 2022. Her work combines design and educational practices, addressing contemporary forms of inhabitation and their relationship with territories.
Chiusa (Klausen) stretches between the rocks of the Sabiona promontory and the Isarco River, with a historic center of clear medieval character: narrow streets, arcades, and Erker—typical South Tyrolean oriel windows—shape the urban layout and reflect the town’s former role as a marketplace.
Above the town rises the Sabiona Monastery, a major religious and historical landmark. Shops and small workshops keep traditional crafts alive, particularly those related to wood, iron, and textiles, while the local identity is also expressed through chestnut cultivation, vineyards, and the wines of the Isarco Valley.
Chiusa was a destination for prominent artists and intellectuals, including the painter Albrecht Dürer, who documented its image. Cultural initiatives continue to nurture this vocation, maintaining a strong connection with the town’s daily life and its traditional festivities.