Kunstwege Pontresina

The triennial Vias d'art Pontresina offers contemporary art in public spaces for the residents of this Alpine village in the Engadine, accessible without queueing or advance booking, and with free admission to all. Seven editions since 2008 have displayed art that is moving because it relates to the local people, their environment, their history, and their strong and vibrant traditions. Through the Vias d'art, Pontresina has also become the site for innovative artistic research that opens up new perspectives, and prevents a sense of alienation in a place of longing, that is shared between some 2,000 residents and 1000s of tourists visiting from all over the world. Some 360 color plates alongside the essays compiled in this book explore the universal traces of seven open-air art shows in striking Alpine surroundings, and demonstrate how local art trails can become global spaces.