For Farina Wines, wine and art share the same origin: the ability to transform matter into emotion. It is from this vision that Art Ferment was born, a project that since 2023 has been creating a dialogue between the historic winery of Valpolicella Classica and the world of contemporary art, transforming the winery’s spaces into a meeting place for wine culture and artistic research.
Born from a collaboration with the Verona-based gallery Artericambi, Art Ferment was conceived as a bridge between two seemingly distant worlds, united by the same creative drive. In wine, the starting material is the grape; in art, it may be colour, light, canvas, or marble. In both cases, the final result emerges through a process of transformation.
As Elena Farina, creator of the project, explains, wine can be regarded as a true work of art, an expression of human creativity, knowledge and craftsmanship. From this conviction comes an initiative that is now entering a new phase.
Art Ferment is becoming a permanent format, featuring the biannual selection of an artist and a gallery invited to create a site-specific exhibition for the winery’s spaces. At the end of each edition, Farina Wines will acquire one work by the featured artist, gradually building a permanent collection that will narrate the identity of the winery through different artistic languages and perspectives.
On May 8, this new chapter took shape with the opening of Transitum Frugum, The Ancient Pact, a solo exhibition by Veronese artist Federico Ferrarini, represented by KROMYA Art Gallery.
The exhibition brings together twenty works, including paintings, sculptures and installations, many of which were created specifically for the occasion. At the heart of Ferrarini’s artistic research lies the relationship between matter, space and time, interpreted through an ongoing reflection on the connection between nature and the cosmic dimension.
The title of the exhibition encapsulates the project’s meaning. Transitum evokes the concept of passage and transformation, while Frugum refers to the fruit generated through the encounter between nature and human intervention. A principle that naturally resonates with the world of wine.
The artworks engage in dialogue with the winery’s production spaces, unfolding throughout the Wine Boutique, the barrel cellar and the evocative Salone delle Botti, where large concrete tulips and ceramic stoneware clayvers coexist. The journey begins in the estate’s sixteenth-century courtyard, which hosts Libri di Piombo by Anselm Kiefer, dedicated to the poet Paul Celan.
Particularly significant is the presence of sculptures carved from Botticino and Verona marble, materials deeply connected to the local territory, which Ferrarini transforms into symbolic and cosmic forms. The exhibition culminates with Kroll, a large site-specific installation inspired by a creative reinterpretation of a cosmic black hole, conceived especially for the winery’s spaces.
For Ferrarini, the collaboration with Farina Wines stems from a shared commitment to research and experimentation. It is a vision that sees the interaction between different forms of expression as an opportunity for mutual growth.
The exhibition will accompany the winery’s hospitality programme until September 15, 2026, and will form an integral part of visits and tasting experiences designed for wine lovers and wine tourists. Through the Art Ferment Wine Tour, contemporary art and wine come together in an immersive experience that tells the story of the territory through diverse yet complementary perspectives.
With Art Ferment, Farina Wines once again demonstrates its determination to look beyond traditional winemaking, developing over time a cultural project capable of bringing together artistic research, territorial identity and wine culture.
