Salvatore Garau Certifies 37 Pine Trees as Artworks to Save Them from Felling in Sardinia

Inspired by Joseph Beuys's 7,000 Oaks project at documenta 7 in 1982, Sardinian artist Salvatore Garau has launched the MACCAB – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea a Cielo Aperto per Bambini (Open-Air Contemporary Art Museum for Children) on the Lungomare di Torregrande in Oristano, Italy. To prevent the municipal administration from cutting down 37 pine trees along the seafront, Garau has certified each tree as a "living sculpture of contemporary art," giving them individual titles such as "Danzante," "Elvis Presley," and one invisible tree titled "Sono immenso eppure non mi vedete." No physical intervention will be made on the trees; only a title is affixed to reveal the artwork already present. In the coming months, works by 40 international artists dedicated to nature and childhood will be installed between the trees. Garau stated, "I come to the aid of trees in a dangerous moment for their extinction and to defend a landscape, cultural, and memory heritage of immense value." The project echoes Beuys's fusion of art, social commitment, and environmental sensitivity.