New Generation, FRAGILE – A Selection of Glasstress, Castel Belasi, Trento (IT) 5 July – 26 October 2025

In a striking encounter between contemporary glass art and ecological reflection, FRAGILE – A Selection of Glasstress unfolds within the ancient walls of Castel Belasi in Trentino, Italy. This historic fortress, now a center for eco thought, becomes the stage for an unprecedented dialogue between fragility and resilience, transparency and strength.

Curated by Sandrine Welte and Adriano Berengo, the Glasstress exhibition brings together over 20 internationally renowned artists – including Ai Weiwei, Cornelia Parker, Wael Shawky, Thomas Schütte, Laure Prouvost, Tony Cragg, Erwin Wurm, Jaume Plensa, and Koen Vanmechelen – presenting more than 40 works in glass. These sculptures and installations invite the visitor to reflect on the delicate balance between humanity, nature, and the environment, while revealing glass as both medium and metaphor: fragile, yet extraordinarily enduring.

The exhibition is staged as a collaboration between MUSE and Berengo Studio, the pioneering Murano workshop that has, since 1989, redefined the possibilities of glass in contemporary art. At Castel Belasi, the works are set up in a poetic, almost ethereal display – where centuries of history meet urgent questions of the present.

Koen Vanmechelen – New Generation

Among the highlights is Koen Vanmechelen’s installation New Generation, a powerful meditation on animistic traditions, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. A transparent African glass mask rises from a bed of feathers, symbolising a bridge between humans and non-human animals, between the earthly and the otherworldly. Antlers, emblems of regeneration and transformation, extend from the canvas, while antenna-like structures suggest communication with the unseen or divine.

The feathers evoke the garment of a shaman – a figure who mediates between realms, embodying transformation and communion with bird spirits. Birds, across cultures, are messengers between heaven and earth; symbols of freedom, perspective, and the soul’s journey. The mask’s very transparency calls for openness: to others, to new dimensions, to new states of being.

New Generation reflects the spirit of a generation that seeks to transcend boundaries and imagine alternative futures. It is a call to reconnect with primal, spiritual elements in order to shape renewal and inclusivity across different planes of existence.

A Poetic Dialogue of Glass and Life

The exhibition as a whole becomes a journey through sustainability, biodiversity, and the fragile relationship between humanity and its environment. As curator Sandrine Welte notes:

“The glass sculptures evoke the dual language of fragility and resilience. Within the ancient atmosphere of Castel Belasi, they acquire a new voice, opening reflections on the great challenges of our contemporary world.”

In this encounter between art and place, FRAGILE – A Selection of Glasstress transforms Castel Belasi into a space of reflection, dialogue, and possibility. It is a celebration of beauty and vulnerability, a reminder that fragility and resilience are not opposites but forces inextricably bound – as in life, so in glass.

Fragile – A selection of Glasstress with works from

Ai Weiwei (China)

Jaume Plensa (Spain)

Tony Cragg (Great-Britain/Germany)

Thomas Schütte (Germany)

Laure Prouvost (France)

Erwin Wurm (Austria)

Pino Castagna (Italy)

Lolita Timofeeva (Latvia)

Mimmo Paladino (Italy)

Wael Shawky (Egypt)

Marya Kazoun (Lebanon/Canada)

Anna Jermolaewa (Russia/Austria)

Monira al Qadiri (Kuwait)

Koen Vanmechelen (Belgium)

Mat Collishaw (England)

Jimmie Durham (USA)

Ryan Gander (England)

Cornelia Parker (England)

Fred Wilson (USA)

Marta Klonowska (Poland)

Loris Cecchini (Italy)

Exhibition Facts:

Castel Belasi, Campodenno (TN)

From July 5 to October 26, 2025

Tuesday to Sunday

10:00 am to 6:30 pm