From 27th of September to 25th of October 2026, the Merano Kurhaus will host ‘Skulptura’, an exhibition initiated and organised by Zeitfabrik, which, for the first time, brings together the works of five leading figures in South Tyrolean sculpture from the past century: Joseph Brunner, Martin Rainer, Adolf Vallazza, Umberto Volante and Claudio Trevi. In addition, a contemporary work by Hannes Egger expands on the reflection on the relationship between personal biography and collective history. The exhibition arose from the need to refocus attention on a generation of artists who, whilst sharing the same regional identity and having trained at South Tyrol’s art schools as well as at European academies, have developed profoundly different forms of expression. The aim of the project is not to identify a single, unified school, but to demonstrate how a shared historical experience has given rise to independent creative paths that interpret the relationship between form, material, memory and the present in different ways. Through sculptures in marble, wood, bronze, stone and terracotta, the exhibition itinerary illustrates the diverse responses these artists offered to the cultural changes of the post-war period. From the innovative power of Joseph Brunner to the existential reflections of Martin Rainer. From Adolf Vallazza’s exploration of material memory to Umberto Volante’s multidisciplinary experimentation, and on to the powerful symbolic and civic dimensions in the work of Claudio Trevi, a rich and multi-layered panorama of 20th-century regional sculpture emerges. The dialogue between the historical works is enriched by Hannes Egger’s light installation, which traces roughly a century of artistic, cultural and social events and places the biographies of the five artists within the broader historical context of their time.
Alongside the exhibition, Die Zeitfabrik has organised a series of public events dedicated to exploring the works of the individual artists in greater depth. All events take place at 6.00 pm at the Kurhaus Merano:
• September, 28 2026: The works of Claudio Trevi
• October, 5 2026: The works of Martin Rainer
• October, 12 2026: The works of Joseph Brunner
• October, 19 2026: The works of Umberto Volante
• October, 26 2026: The works of Adolf Vallazza
The official opening of the exhibition will take place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at 11.00 am, at the Kurhaus Merano, Meeting Room 2, with the entrance at Passeggiata 14. The exhibition will be open daily from September 27 to October 26, 2026, from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm. On 17 and 18 October, the exhibition will be closed. Free entry.
With ‘Skulptura’, Die Zeitfabrik offers a critical reinterpretation of a fundamental chapter in South Tyrolean art from the second half of the 20th century and gives the public the opportunity to engage with five figures who made a decisive contribution to the renewal of regional sculpture and to its opening up to the international art debate.