The character of Ornellaia 2017, the 12th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista, was “Solare”, which was chosen to compel us to reflect on the impact that our actions have on the planet.
Tomás Saraceno was the artist chosen to interpret “Solare”.

Tomás Saraceno is a visionary artist whose works shook the contemporary art world. Born in Argentina in 1973, his output is elevated by concepts that bind together art, the natural and social sciences. Suspended at the crossroads between these worlds, his floating sculptures, community projects and interactive installations suggest and explore new sustainable ways to experience our environment at a time of ecological tumult.

In Tomás Saraceno’s project, the interaction between humans and the artwork generates an immediate connection with the complex networks of relationships that extends across a micro- and macroscale before reaching the sun. Through touch, the artist invites us to rethink poetically and collectively the way in which we inhabit the world. This interdisciplinary artistic approach pushes the collective vision beyond individuality. The Salmanazar is the evolution of this creative process. Resembling an atomic structure, the glass spheres of PNEUMA 4.21×105 comprise cloud-like formations, almost a floating city whose shape and size are in constant flux, altering the traditional concepts of borders and territories. The hanging sculpture is reminiscent of forms that could also only float due to the sun’s heat, without fossil fuels. The sculpture is therefore inspired by the reciprocal alliance between the sun and the environments inhabited by humans and non-humans, in an invitation to take care of the planet and pay more attention to the earth’s most important source of energy.

Some of the large-format bottles of Vendemmia d’Artista “Solare” were sold at the Sotheby’s auction held between 1 and 9 September. The profits were donated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for the development of the “Mind’s Eye” program.