The MAG – Museo Alto Garda hosts Ultimate Landscapes. The Illusion of Ice, a major exhibition dedicated to the project that Roman photographer Claudio Orlandi has been pursuing since 2008: a visual narrative of the irreversible transformations of glaciers, among the most dramatic and urgent testimonies of the contemporary climate crisis.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, installation view at Museo Alto Garda, Riva del Garda (TN), ph. Nicola Eccher, courtesy the artist and Museo Alto Garda
Sara Buoso: To begin, would you like to introduce us to your photographic practice?
Claudio Orlandi: My marriage was the catalyst, thanks to which I received a reflex camera as a gift, and from there, I began to develop an interest in photography. My first project was Tatuaggi di luce (Tattoos of Light), 1993, a series of striped nudes rendered in a chromatic and photographic-luministic manner. My journey has been non-linear, on the one hand close to the amateur field, on the other, I was soon guided by enlightened experts. I use photography to document the reality of our times in various forms and facets, exploring the sense of perception. Looking back on my research, I realize that I have always been interested (even unconsciously) in transfiguring reality, distorting the sense of perception. I am currently represented by Galleria E3 in Brescia.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, installation view at Museo Alto Garda, Riva del Garda (TN), ph. Nicola Eccher, courtesy the artist and Museo Alto Garda
Could you tell us about the genesis of the Ultimate Landscapes exhibition?
The Ultimate Landscapes exhibition has a long history. My interest in mountains emerged as a child, when my family took me to Val di Fiemme, in Trentino. I began to become interested in the topic of glacier crisis in 2008 with my visit to the Presena Glacier in Trentino, where I learned of an experiment involving covering glaciers to protect them from melting. There, I saw the practice of using protective sheets, albeit rolled up and poorly anchored because they were subject to strong gusts of wind at 3,000 meters above sea level. From there, I became interested in the subject of covered glaciers, approaching it very differently over the course of various expeditions and travels. I believed the First Series was a work in itself. A visit to Garmisch-Partenkirchen gave rise to the Second Series on the Zugspitze Glacier in Germany, which was followed by others. I also visited the Rhone Glacier in 2020 and 2024: on this second trip, I was saddened by the loss of hundreds of linear meters of surface. The last glacier I visited was the Marmolada in September 2025. I could see absolutely nothing, the sky was pervaded by a white atmosphere. I was alone and it was snowing while I was shooting in very poor visibility. My shot is born when the horizon no longer borders. That work is now included in the Thirteen series, 2025. The exhibition Ultimate Landscapes presents a synthesis of my research and my interpretations; I am not interested in landscapes per se, nor in still lifes or documentaries: I am interested in confusing the sense of perception, synthesizing my vision in an extreme way.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, installation view at Museo Alto Garda, Riva del Garda (TN), ph. Nicola Eccher, courtesy the artist and Museo Alto Garda
How you combine sensitive and environmental issues in photography?
The environmental theme underlying this project speaks to the sadness of what is happening in our times. I’m interested in leaving a legacy for those who will see the same landscapes in the future, when the glaciers will likely no longer exist. Claudio Smiraglia, one of the most eminent Italian glaciologists and author of one of the catalogue contributions, predicted the end of Alpine glaciers in 2035. In terms of protection, the practice of protective sheets is valid as long as they remain white, as long as they guarantee a high albedo due to their reflective power. Despite this, there is a debate today among glaciologists themselves: some support the preventive value of this practice, while others consider it harmful because the sheets would alter the glaciers’ microclimate, in addition to proving economically difficult to sustain. My work draws on these scientific contributions to convey sensitivity through art. I have always been interested in the dreamlike vision of the landscape, the idea of a transfigured landscape. For the Ultimate Landscapes exhibition, I also collaborated with Alessio Mosti, a sound designer from Carrara, author of a series of sound samples in which it is possible to hear the breathing of the ice melting.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, Svizzera, Glacier Paradise, 05/09/2018, edizione 1/5 + 1 PA, courtesy of the artist
Stylistically, your photographs depart from landscape photography genres to combine synthesis and plasticity in a sensitive and sustainable way.
In the images of this project, maximum synthesis coexists with a strong sense of plasticity: perhaps this is where the photographic contrast lies. I do not deny that some observers have intercepted suggestions linked to the iconography of ancient shrouds and draperies, such as Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ (1753), housed in the Museo Cappella Sansevero in Naples. I confirm that there may be an unconscious influence from this tradition and literature. At Museo dell’Alto Garda, the exhibition is introduced by theatrical wings created through the shrouds themselves, as if entering a stage setting with the aim of making the images present three-dimensional. The theme of the melting of glaciers represents the emblem of our era.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, Ghiacciaio dello Stelvio, 09/02/2021, edizione 1/5 + 1 PA, courtesy of the artist
More specifically, how would you position your photographic genre?
My vision isn’t tied to the landscape. Sometimes I only make certain panoramic details explicit, but my interest lies in surreal situations that arouse curiosity, like the image chosen for the catalog’s cover, a shot of the Stelvio glacier. Nor is my vision sublime or romantic. I’d rather say my photography is active. I’ve always been drawn to the extreme, and I seek this attitude to the limits. Similarly, being on top of a glacier means being subjected to a transformation. You immerse yourself and become completely immersed in what you see, almost absorbed by it. In some situations, I’ve found myself at one with the surrounding environment, like when I climbed the Plateau Rosa on the Matterhorn alone, and found myself shrouded in clouds. I had to wait for more favorable weather conditions to regain my sense of direction.
Claudio Orlandi, “Ultimate Landscapes”, Svizzera, Glacier Paradise,12/01/2024, edizione 1/5 + 1 PA, courtesy of the artist
In conclusion, would you like to tell us about your international experiences and future projects?
Ever since I chose to pursue my photographic research, I have turned to the international scene. I have exhibited my work over the years in Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands and Switzerland. More recently, I was invited to present my photographs of glaciers in an exhibition on Lake Geneva, near Lausanne, which was followed by the publication of a book. I am pleased that the Ultimate Landscapes exhibition is being presented at MAG, the South Tyrol Museum of Art, a museum sensitive and attentive to these types of themes.
Info:
Claudio Orlandi. Ultimate Landscapes. L’illusione del ghiaccio
curated by Matteo Rapanà and Alessia Locatelli
Museo Alto Garda
Piazza Cesare Battisti 3/A, Riva del Garda (TN)
29/11/2025 – 14/06/2026
www.claudiorlandi.it
www.claudiorlandi.it
She is interested in the visual, verbal and textual aspects of the Modern Contemporary Arts. From historical-artistic studies at the Cà Foscari University, Venice, she has specialized in teaching and curatorial practice at the IED, Rome, and Christie’s London. The field of her research activity focuses on the theme of Light from the 1950s to current times, ontologically considering artistic, phenomenological and visual innovation aspects.
NO COMMENT