
Elephants in the Alps
Can contemporary art become a vehicle for launching ecological messages and creating an economic spin-off in small towns in the Alpine valleys? To look for an answer, one has to go up to Mesocco.
In the Moesano village and its hamlets, an unusual zoo was inaugurated on 24 August. There are no cages and marmots live with sperm whales, ibexes with elephants. What brought them to the Alps was not a revived Hannibal but a pair of street artists from Ticino. They are Christian Rebecchi and Pablo Togni, in art Nevercrew.
In order to better understand the aims of the project, we interviewed Mercedes Albertini, Municipal Councillor of Mesocco, in charge of Tourism, Public Education, Culture, Sport and Leisure Time.
What is the Mesocco Zoo?
“We could call it a diffuse exhibition or a permanent outdoor exhibition. It currently consists of 13 works that are located on the walls of Mesocco and its hamlets. They range from schools to some private houses, all the way to the power station in Leso. But the idea is that it can be a work in progress with works that can be added every year. It is a zoo but also a kind of safari, in which one wanders through the streets of Mesocco to spot the works on the walls.”
What do the works represent?
“The Nevercrew duo wanted to create a colourful zoo, born of their imagination and realised through their artistry. The murals depict marmots, bears, birds, beavers, sheep, deer, badgers, ibexes as well as sperm whales, zebras, pandas and elephants. Some murals are several metres high and have a strong impact, others reproduce animals at life size. There are also elements that recall mirrors and photography, to create a game of cross-references between art and reality.”
Where did the idea for the Mesocco Zoo come from?
“It was an evolution of the mMoMAm (mini Museum of Modern Art Misox) project. With my nephew, Luca Cereghetti, president of the Moesano regional tourist board, we created an association that converted the old bakery of Ulisse Albertini, a figure known by everyone in the village and nicknamed ‘l’Ulissino’, into a cultural space. In April, we presented the exhibition ‘Marilyn and friends’, an exhibition dedicated to the master of Pop Art Andy Warhol, and we will continue with small temporary exhibitions in order to offer an opportunity to discover contemporary art in Mesolcina as well.”
And one thing led to another...
“Yes, we imagined colouring our municipality and thought of a zoo of animals painted on the walls. We contacted the Nevercrew, who were enthusiastic about the initiative. Both because they can propose an ecological message, reminding us that we are not the only species on this planet and that we must seek a harmonious cohabitation between animals and humans, and because of the original context of a route within an alpine environment that invites a sustainable approach to visiting and discovering the area.”
How did you finance the project?
“In addition to the support of some local partners and institutions, there was self-funding from the residents. In December, we sent a letter to all the fires announcing the sale of one hundred Nevercrew prints that corresponded to one hundred zoo shares and we immediately sold them out. People not only bought the prints but started to offer us the walls of their private homes.”
Is this project replicable in other centres in the Alpine valleys?
“We hope so. But above all we want to work so that the Mesocco Zoo is known nationally and internationally. We want it to be an opportunity for people heading to or from San Bernardino to stop off in Mesocco. In this way they will be able to walk around and discover the painted walls and at the same time get to know our villages. For the mid-valley centres, it is important to offer opportunities for ‘slow’ and cultural tourism to intercept part of the flows directed towards the destinations at higher altitudes, those chosen by skiing, hiking and mountaineering enthusiasts, but who also have artistic interests. Trying to create an induced income from cultural activities was our goal even before, after the effects of last June’s flooding it is even more so. In addition, given the subject matter of the works, we think it is also a fascinating itinerary for families or school classes, to bring children closer to the language of art, but also to respect for the environment and animals. It is an important educational function that should not be overlooked.”
The Mesocco Zoo is therefore an example of how art can be a driving force for sustainable development in the Alpine region: low environmental impact, great cultural message.
Mesocco
Mesocco is the last northern municipality in the Mesolcina Valley, is one of the largest in Canton Graubünden and has a population of around 1,400. It consists of 11 hamlets, including the mountain hamlet of San Bernardino. An important necropolis from the early Iron Age (VI-V centuries BC) was found where the village stands today. The ruins of the castle, one of the largest in the canton, are still visible. It was once the seat of the de Sacco family, lords of the Mesolcina valley from the XII century to 1480, and then of the Trivulzio family until 1549.
Christian Rebecchi (b. 1980) and Pablo Togni (b. 1979) started an artistic street art partnership in 1996 that took the name Nevercrew.
After studying at the Liceo Artistico CSIA in Lugano at the Brera Academy in Milan, they created works in many cities around the world, including: Madrid, Berlin, Grenoble, New Delhi, Manchester, Turin, Lucerne, Vancouver, Cairo, Miami, Kiev, Los Angeles and Phoenix. They have received numerous awards and were included among the 100 most influential urban artists of the year by Graffiti Art magazine in ‘The Urban Contemporary Art Guide 2015. The themes of their artworks focus mainly on environmental and social issues, seeking to provoke reflection on human attitudes and their influence on nature.

The works
The works
1) Mesocco schools: the marmots
2) Private house village centre: the bears and the panda
3) Subway n13 cremeo: the sperm whale
4) Postbus stop castello: the birds
5) Gesena Deira bridge: the beavers
6) Logiano private house: the sheep
7) Darba private house: the zebra
8) Andergi private house: the deer
9) Cebia private house: the badgers
10) Anzon road wall: the ibexes
11) Central Leso: the elephant
12) Postal station Pian San Giacomo: the monkeys
13) Bridge N13 San Bernardino: the foxes
Mercedes Albertini
Year of birth: 1961
Profession: Municipal employee
She is a lover of sport in general and with a predilection at a young age for Alpine skiing, which she practised with ease and talent, she spent most of his professional life in Italian-speaking Switzerland, working for the FIAT Group. Among others, she also worked with Sergio Marchionne during his time in Paradiso.
Passionate about oriental culture and yoga, as well as the mountains of Graubünden, she decided a few months ago to serve her own municipality, Mesocco, in the Town Hall, trying to bring some new air into the shadow of the castle. As in the case of the Mesocco Zoo.
