FRAUEN Sculpture Exhibition at Kränzelhof

A sculpture exhibition within the Kränzelhof gardens

The FRAUEN Sculpture Exhibition at Kränzelhof is the major annual showcase of sculpture and installation art that, in 2026, enlivens the renowned Seven Gardens of Kränzelhof in the municipality of Cermes/Tscherms, Bolzano province, in the heart of the South Tyrolean Burgraviato, just a stone's throw from Merano. Curated by the K.art Cultural Association (Kulturverein K.art), the exhibition transforms the estate's park into an open-air museum where artworks engage in a direct dialogue with the nature, vineyards, and botanical architecture of the garden.

The 2026 theme: FRAUEN, the woman

The 2026 edition is dedicated to the theme FRAUEN (women) and coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the gardens, created in 2006. Eighteen national and international artists address the female body and its expressive power, exploring themes such as identity, posture, vulnerability, strength, and dedication. The sculptures and plastic works are placed along the park's paths, creating an impact through the encounter between art and landscape, inviting visitors to pause, observe, and reflect.

The artists

The featured artists include Otto Beer, Markus Gasser, Siegmund Geiser, Armin Grunt, Monika Hartl, Martin Hell, Manuel Hinter, Michael Höllrigl, Philipp Klammsteiner, Susanne Kreißer, Felicitas von Lensing-Hebben, Andrea Mattheisen, Clara Mayr, Lukas Mayr, Carl Pfeol, Hermann Josef Runggaldier, Matthias Sieff, and Simone Turra, showcasing a wide range of styles from figurative sculpture to conceptual installation.

The Seven Gardens and the labyrinth

The exhibition route winds through the Seven Gardens of Kränzelhof, a landscaped park inspired by the English garden tradition and organized around existential themes such as trust, emotion, and courage. The complex includes a maze of high hedges with secret paths and a single-path labyrinth leading to the center, as well as the estate's winery and the Essbar bistro. This setting makes the visit as much an artistic experience as a natural one, within the landscape of the lower Adige Valley in South Tyrol.

A key event in Trentino-Alto Adige

Included in the cultural calendar of the province of Bolzano and the Trentino-Alto Adige region, the FRAUEN exhibition at Kränzelhof is established as one of the premier open-air contemporary art events in South Tyrol, attracting art, garden, and landscape enthusiasts during the peak of the Merano tourist season.