On the occasion of it’s 40th anniversary, the Masciarelli Tenute Agricole winery announces its commitment to contemporary art.
The protagonist of the first edition of Masciarelli Art Project is Job Smeets, invited to imagine a site-specific intervention for the Castle of Semivicoli and to design a label for the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva Villa Gemma.
The installation and the label, the result of a residency period that took place in April, will be previewed in October 2021. Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, winery ambassador in the world of excellence of Abruzzo wine culture, on the occasion of the celebration of its 40th anniversary, announces its commitment to contemporary art by inaugurating Masciarelli Art Project, an initiative born with the desire to involve international talent in a dialogue with the kaleidoscopic world of Masciarelli. The project, which sees the Belgian artist and designer Job Smeets as protagonist for the first edition, includes a period of residence in the suggestive Castello di Semivicoli aimed at creating a site-specific installation and a label for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva Villa Gemma, the most representative wine of the winery.
The first edition of Masciarelli Art Project features the Belgian artist Job Smeets, founder of Studio Job, one of the most avant-garde and internationally recognized creative realities. Smeets was invited by Miriam Lee Masciarelli precisely for his eclectic and counter-current vision, and his extraordinary ability to blend in a highly recognizable style a unique craftsmanship and a contemporary and original imaginary that translates into overcoming boundaries between art and design.
Masciarelli Art Project provides for the artist a real immersion in the Masciarelli world with a period of residence in the seventeenth-century baronial Castello di Semivicoli, a monument of historical interest, which, located on the Abruzzo hills a few kilometers from the Majella National Park, is today a relais de charme among the vineyards.
Always able to fascinate great artists and travellers – it seems that Lord Byron stopped there on his return from Roccascalegna during his Grand Tour, while it was visited on several occasions by Gabriele D’Annunzio, a friend of the Baron – the Castle of Semivicoli is an evocative place, representative of Masciarelli’s identity, which thus becomes the heart of the project from which to draw inspiration, exploring the history of the company and its production, coming into contact with the terroirs of the different vineyards, the colours, the scents, the suggestions of a territory rich in tradition, in history that still manages to preserve the beauty of the past and its authenticity.
“It is an honor to be the protagonist of the first edition of Masciarelli Art Project – says Job Smeets – the tradition and magnificence of this land and this company are a great inspiration for me. Gianni Masciarelli founded the winery with an incredibly far-sighted vision, today carried out with courage by two extraordinary women Marina and Miriam.
Immersing myself in the unique and evocative atmosphere of the Semivicoli Castle, I was overwhelmed by centuries of history, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the enormous variety of vineyards.
I was extremely fascinated by the elements that help to safeguard them: roses, bees, herbs, flowers, symbols of a vigorous nature that supports the delicate balance of wine production.”
The Job Smeets residence, which took place in April, represents the starting point for the artist to imagine a site-specific intervention for the castle spaces – which will be inaugurated in October 2021 and freely visible to the public – and to design the label of the limited edition of one of the most famous wines, recognized and appreciated in the world of Casa Masciarelli: the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva Villa Gemma. A wine that, included among the 50 best wines in Italy, boasts a unique history and has been at the top of the rankings of Italian guides for over three decades.
