ULASSAI.- From December 13, 2025, to March 15, 2026, the Stazione dell’Arte and the CaMuC in Ulassai are hosting The breath of a journey, an exhibition that brings together two artists separated by five centuries yet connected by a shared sensitivity to signs, meaning, and imagination: Albrecht Dürer and Maria Lai. Now open to the public, the exhibition unfolds as a deeply human dialogue between a master of the European Renaissance and one of the most significant voices of contemporary Italian art.
Curated by Marco Peri and Luca Baroni, the exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to encounter more than thirty original graphic works by Dürer, drawn from important private collections, alongside a focused selection of works by Maria Lai. Rather than staging a conventional historical comparison, the exhibition invites viewers to experience how different artistic languages resonate around enduring questions that continue to shape art: time, memory, spirituality, and the act of creation itself.
Dürer’s engravings appear strikingly alive. Works such as Melencolia I, Knight, Death, and the Devil, The Prodigal Son, and The Sea Monster reveal an artist deeply curious about the natural world and the inner life of human beings. His ability to combine technical precision with psychological depth transformed the language of printmaking and permanently shaped the history of images. Seen today, these works speak powerfully of uncertainty, moral struggle, and the search for meaning.
Set in dialogue with Dürer’s visionary universe are the works of Maria Lai, whose practice grew out of the traditions and stories of Sardinia and expanded into a poetic, universal language. Her sewn books, ceramic works, breads, nativity scenes, and the powerful Via Crucis made of white thread transform humble materials into carriers of memory and emotion. Lai’s art remains intuitive and quiet, suspended in a timeless space, yet it speaks directly to contemporary concerns about identity, community, and belonging.
The exhibition’s title points to its central themes. “Breath” is understood as both a vital force and an inner rhythm, while “journey” refers not only to physical movement but also to spiritual transformation. Through this lens, unexpected connections emerge between Dürer’s rigorously structured images and Lai’s tactile, narrative forms. Together, they suggest that art is a continuous passage—across time, places, and ways of seeing.
The choice of Ulassai as the setting proves essential to the project. The Stazione dell’Arte and the CaMuC, deeply tied to Maria Lai’s legacy and to the cultural identity of the region, provide an intimate context in which visitors are encouraged not only to look, but also to reflect and engage emotionally.
As Marco Peri, Director of the Stazione dell’Arte, notes, the exhibition arrives at a meaningful moment. In 2026, the foundation celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its opening, with a year marked by renewed attention to Maria Lai’s work. The breath of a journey embodies this spirit, connecting past and present while reaffirming art’s power to open spaces for thought, emotion, and shared experience.
Promoted by the Municipality of Ulassai and produced by the Fondazione Stazione dell’Arte, with organizational support from Comediarting and communication by Arthemisia, the exhibition is funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU as part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, dedicated to the cultural regeneration of villages.
