Cottanera Winery on Etna Hosts Ruben Brulat's 'Embrasement'

The Cottanera winery on the slopes of Mount Etna, active since the 1960s, launched an artist residency program in spring 2021 to create an open-air museum. Mariangela Cambria, who runs the estate with her siblings, conceived the project and named the first edition Cottanera Visioni, featuring Palermo-born artist Gabriella Ciancimino. For the second edition in 2022, the winery collaborated with Galleria Ncontemporary (Milan, London) to host French artist Ruben Brulat (born 1988). A live performance by Brulat introduced the exhibition 'Embrasement' (Embrace), on view until October 15, 2022, in the winery's tasting room, barrique cellar, and main cellar. The show includes works from the past decade alongside site-specific installations created during Brulat's residency in May 2022. One key piece uses words collected from interviews with winery staff to explore the human relationship with Etna and broader themes of fragility versus primordial forces. Brulat, known for photographic self-portraits in wild settings, works across photography, sculpture, video, and music. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday by appointment.