In the heart of Primiero, among woods and mountains marked but not tamed by time, a new work has appeared destined to become a symbol of the territory. This is the Guàna del Primiero, a monumental sculpture seven meters high, signed by the artist Marco Martalar, known for his creations made with wood recovered after the Vaia storm. The work can be visited from today at the Navoi Wellness Park, a place that combines nature, relaxation and collective memory.
The Guàna del Primiero was commissioned by the Municipality of Fiera di Primiero, which strongly wanted a work capable of telling the identity of the place. The installation dialogues with the surrounding landscape, fitting harmoniously into the park and becoming a visual and emotional point of reference for residents and visitors.
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Vaia wood as a material of rebirth
As in many of his previous works, Martalar has chosen to work with what remains of an environmental wound that is still alive. The sculpture is made up of over two thousand pieces and roots of wood, collected in the woods felled by the storm that hit the Alps and vast areas of Northern Italy hard in 2018. “Recovering these materials means giving a second life to what seemed lost“, explains the artist. The broken wood thus becomes a symbol of resilience, transforming destruction into a message of strength and continuity.
Le Guàne in the Alpine tradition
The inspiration of the work is rooted in local mythology. According to the legends of Primiero, the Guàne were nymphs linked to streams and lakes, mysterious creatures who lived in profound harmony with nature. They lived near Sass de le Guàne, under Castel Pietra, and represented a principle of harmony and respect for places. They could enter into relationships with humans and even form a family, as long as their secret was never violated.
Legend has it that, if chased or disturbed, the Guàne would throw themselves into the water, transforming into otters, the symbolic animal of the Primiero community. This element of metamorphosis is also central in Martalar’s sculpture: a work that combines memory, nature and rebirth, restoring a powerful and poetic image to the territory. The Guàna thus becomes not only a mythological figure, but a metaphor for a landscape that changes, resists and continues to tell its story.
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