In the month that marks the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Parisian Olympic circles are intertwined with those of Milan-Cortina 2026 in the sign of urban art: at the starting blocks for Livigno Alp Colors.

The project curated by Luca Mayr, in collaboration with Alice Martinelli, promoted by G.O.L. (Gruppo Olimpico Livignasco) and sponsored by the Municipality of Livigno, inaugurates the second of its three-year duration. Conceived in view of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which will see Livigno host the Olympic snowboard and freestyle competitions, it brings an explosion of colours and creativity to the heart of the Alps. Livigno Alp Colors transforms the town and its territory into an inclusive space of participation and creativity: a vibrant museum of urban art that shares affinities and ‘cultural’ atmospheres with these disciplines. The urban style typical of snowboarding and mountain biking is found in wall art disciplines such as urban art and calligraffiti.

Walls, retaining walls, underground passages and tunnels thus take on a new life thanks to the artistic interventions of four nationally and internationally renowned artists: Luca Rancy, Sorte, Ettore Stu and Alice Martinelli, and the twenty-five Open Space and CiAGi young people involved in a participatory art workshop.

All the works realised, in strategic, symbolic and highly transitory points, dialogue with the context and celebrate Olympic values such as fair-play, cooperation and inclusion, without forgetting the history and cultural and natural heritage of the Livigno area.

The Milanese artist Rancy, a well-known Street Artist, illustrator and award-winning designer, has created ‘Heritage’ on the large retaining wall in Trepalle. The work depicts two ermines: one with a white coat, recalling the winter season, and the other brown, symbolising the warmth of summer. The ermine is an animal of strong symbolic appeal for the territory, considered magical and fearsome, capable of camouflage, with a powerful bite, it is the protagonist of local legends and beliefs. ‘Heritage’ is simultaneously a tribute to the local cultural and natural heritage and to Tina and Milo, the official mascots of Milan-Cortina 2026. The work is also a warning and a reminder of the importance of protecting endangered species: a reminder that we are in a fragile and protected environment.

In the centre of the work, dynamic lines that recall the colours and intent of the Olympic rings give movement and vitality to the composition. This distinctive figurative element of the artist's poetics also appears in his second work entitled ‘Ammonites’, located at the Lago Gallery. Here, at the top, there are numerous fossils and remnants of the seabed that this predolomite preserves, creating a fascinating link between past and present, art and nature.

Luca Rancy also transforms the large retaining wall in the Viera area into a progression of pine cones, recalling the nature of Livigno. The concentric shapes, already present in the ammonite part, blend harmoniously with the pine cones, a historical symbol of vital energy, an example of golden proportion and fertility.

Alice Martinelli, artist, presents a unique work - entitled ‘La memoria che affiora’ (The emerging memory) - that dialogues with the history and memory of Livigno. Using the masonry and stone of a bridge as a support, Alice reinterprets old photographs, interacting with the formal characteristics of the surface. Details emerge and disappear, becoming traces of the past that resurface in the present day. Born and raised in Livigno, specialising in the anthropology of art and passionate about history - in her works - mainly drawings, paintings and wall paintings - she explores the relationship between nature, tradition and the contemporary world, with a focus on the human factor and the animal world.

Entitled ‘OLYMPIC LINKS’, Sorte's work depicts the passage of the Olympic event through the Livigno area. The artist depicts the five circles of the Olympic logo on each of the gallery walls and the sun of Livigno on the ceiling in anamorphosis, a technique that shows the circle of the sun from a specific vantage point. Sorte uses the paintbrush to leave a calligraphic mark, an elaborate and intricate lettering, which stems from the fusion of the Latin alphabet, his previous experience in the world of graffiti and the dialogue with the peculiarities of the context in which he operates.

The Urban Colors guys intervene on two walls in the Sottopasso Mottolino depicting the discipline of snowboarding on a large scale. Not by chance created in this very spot, the mural celebrates the importance of this sport in the local context. The work captures the energy and dynamism of snowboarding, transforming the subway into a vibrant homage to one of the sports that will be the protagonists of the Olympic competitions to be held just a few steps away.

And finally, the collective work created together with young people from Livigno, entitled ‘ARTECIPAZIONE’ reveals the importance of the Urban Art space as a place of collectivity and participation. Born out of the free workshop for boys and girls aged 12 to 19, conducted by artist Rancy at the Sottopasso Pemont, the work allowed participants to explore the practice of Street Art. The mural is a ‘meeting point’ between Olympic figures and words in different languages, referring to the sporting and inclusive values that have always driven the Olympics. Not for nothing, it is here that calligrapher Ettore Stu painted a quotation from the book ‘Raccontare l'educazione’ (Telling Education) by Michele Ricetti: a collection of texts and thoughts by educators and adolescents from the Livigno Youth Centre. An invitation for young people to always preserve their uniqueness, far from judgement and prejudice.

‘Livigno Alp Color is the Urban Art project that is involving all sections of the population, starting with the local teenage group.’ - comments Luca Mayr, curator of the project. - ‘Not only have we created works that revitalise the Livigno area, but we have also created collective works together with 25 teenagers, transferring technical and artistic know-how to them. This activated visual curiosity and awareness in respect of artistic interventions. The dialogue with the local community was fundamental and inspired the teenagers, making them more and more enthusiastic.’

‘We proudly support the Livigno Alp Colors project, born two years ago from an idea of the G.O.L. (Gruppo Olimpico Livignasco), a working group involving voluntary citizens and involved in conceiving and organising various projects aimed at enhancing, raising awareness and preparing our community for the great event of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. We were really pleased to see how this workshop involved numerous young people who chose to collaborate with each other to create modern works of art that beautify certain areas of our town and at the same time aim to spread Olympic values, both through the images and colours chosen. For us inhabitants of Livigno, they not only represent a renewal of our town today, but will always be an indelible reminder of the achievement of a great dream of ours, namely that of being the home of the most important sporting event in the world in just two years‘ time,’ said Sharon Zini, Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Livigno.

Livigno Alp Colors represents an important initiative to involve and enhance the territory, uniting art, tradition and community in view of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Thanks to the creativity of the artists and the enthusiasm of the young participants, the project transforms Livigno into a vibrant museum of urban art, where the Olympic values of sustainability and inclusion are reflected in every work.