For the eighth time, the association La Veta is organizing the Summeracademy Val Gardena this year – a two-week course program dedicated to drawing, sculpture, and casting, set amidst the Dolomites.

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The Summeracademy Val Gardena is aimed at artists, sculptors, art students, and individuals working in the field of art. A selected group of 20 international participants will be guided by a team of four renowned artists: Gehard Demetz, Peter Demetz, Hermann Josef Runggaldier, and Aron Demetz.

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At the core of the program is an intensive engagement with the human figure. Starting from drawing, participants work on a large scale from live models – drawing, modeling, and carving. They explore various aspects of drawing, train their eye, develop their individual formal language, and deepen their technical skills. Sculptural work is understood as a consistent continuation of drawing and opens up additional approaches to form. Here, too, working from the live model constitutes an essential component.

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Furthermore, participants are given the space to develop their own projects. They are supported in reflecting on, analyzing, and critically questioning their work. Questions of space, volume, and materiality are examined, as well as different perspectives on one’s own artistic practice. The aim is to strengthen individual practice and to explore new creative possibilities.

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Classical materials such as clay, plaster, and cardboard form the foundation for exploring new ways of representing the human body. This year, they also serve as preparation for realization in wood, thereby opening up additional creative dimensions.

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In addition to the course program, a diverse evening program is offered: studio visits with locally based artists, gallery visits, discussion rounds, lectures, film screenings, hikes, and informal gatherings encourage exchange and dialogue. The Sommerakademie thrives particularly on the interaction among participants. The detailed program will be announced at the beginning of the course.

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The two weeks conclude with a final exhibition in which the works created are presented to a broader public. In this context, further questions arise concerning spatial relationships, forms of presentation, display, and the dialogue between artwork, space, and viewer.