Tags, graffiti and street art. So many terms that make you think more of city centers than of mountain landscapes. However, in Crans-Montana, the Vision Art Festival brings the concrete facades of the famous Valais resort to life for the sixth consecutive year. Usually confined to the walls of metropolises, urban frescoes stand alongside the summits here. More than just a graffiti festival, the event running this year through August 8 has transformed the face of this city. It must be said that the architecture of the place lends itself to this. Since 2014, the gray and austere blocks of the ski lifts have been welcoming brushstrokes or spray paint from artists from all over the world.
An unusual and inspiring place
Far from large urban centers like Montreal, New York or Barcelona, the resort nestled in the heart of the Valais Alps has succeeded in making its place in the world of street art. She nevertheless appears as a UFO in the middle: “At this altitude, it’s the only place in the world where you can admire so many frescoes in the same place. But it is above all the largest museum that can be visited on foot, by bicycle and even on skis, ”explains Grégory Pagès, founder and president of the Vision Art Festival.
The place also inspires. It is not every day that one can paint in front of peaks sometimes reaching above 3000 meters in altitude. 1010, an artist from Hamburg, takes advantage of the unique topography to create a work full of movements and shades of blue, a stone’s throw from Lake Chermignon: “For this fresco, I improvise. I am inspired by the sound of water, the mountains opposite and the branches of the trees that surround me. ” Some walkers and mountain bikers admire the beginnings of the work before continuing their walk.
At the heart of the resort, the Swiss Michèle Reymond (aka mkdir), polishes her fresco: two huge characters holding hands, Summer in rollerblades and Winter in ice skates, symbolizing the two key seasons of Crans-Montana. “I won the Battle of Styles [compétition couronnant les meilleurs jeunes artistes dans les catégories illustration et lettrage] during the 2019 edition, which allowed me to be invited this year and to have my own wall. It is a special event for me, because it is only my fourth fresco. Basically, I am an illustrator and digital designer.»
Perennial works
The Vision Art Festival is not just about painting. Poetry, installations of all kinds and even an ephemeral café on the tiny island of Lake Grenon punctuate this 2020 edition. But for Grégory Pagès, the most important thing is not the few days of the festival: “The idea is especially to offer something to people who live in or visit the station. We did not want an ephemeral event that only lasts a week. If you don’t see the artists live, you can always come back to see their frescoes whenever you want, ”he explains.
The walls of the station are finally a permanent exhibition, with new works disseminated every year. On August 8, the Battle of Styles will spell the end of this sixth edition and the festival will pack up until next year. The works, as for them, will remain alongside those of previous years.
In Valais, an artistic summer in the open air
Other cultural events take place outside. Good news in this period of coronavirus, where confined spaces tend to be of concern
“Valais in love” (Val d’Hérens, until November 1)
The Résonance trail hosts the exhibition Valais in love until November 1st. Twenty-six canvases by Swiss pastellist John-Francis Lecoultre accompany walkers throughout a walk of about an hour and a half. The route links Les Farquès (above Les Haudères, direction Arolla) to Lake Arbey, located on the heights of Evolène. Stretched between two larches or hung on the wall, the works parade at the same pace as the landscapes of the Val d’Hérens.
Circus at the top (Crans-Montana, until August 16)
Acrobatics and magic, all at altitude. Cirque au Sommet offers various shows and activities for young and old. In addition to its marquee, the festival hosts outdoor performances on the Openair stage and the Altitude stage. Are you less interested in the circus? Walks, yoga, discussions and land art are also on the program.
Culture in the Mountain Landscape (Verbier, 12 et 13 août)
Organized by Verbier Art Summit, this event features art, music, walking and electric cycling. Two exhibition visits are on the program, as well as a chamber music concert at the Verbier Festival, the Pastoral by Beethoven, given in the open air in the little chapel of Saint-Christophe. More information and reservations (free for most activities) on their website.
Palp Festival (Bruson, Sion, Sierre, Conthey, Martigny…)
Concerts, gastronomy, hiking, there is something for everyone at the Palp Festival, which is celebrating its tenth edition this year. We find there in particular their famous Rocklette and Electroclette, or when the music has an aftertaste of melted cheese.
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