Christina Oiticica exhibition at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania (Italy): When the Sky Invades the Earth
Christina Oiticica presents in Italy the work transformed by the waters of Lake Maggiore. Inspired by a dream, the visual artist submerged the canvas Mama Muxima in the lake for three months. The piece is now part of the exhibition When the Sky Invades the Earth, currently on view in Pallanza.
Entrance to the art exhibition “When the Sky Invades the Earth” at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania.
The Exhibition “When the Sky Invades the Earth”
The exhibition was inaugurated for a group of guests in two events, on September 11 and 12, 2026, at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania, on the shores of Lake Maggiore. It features around 60 land art works integrated with the elements of nature (such as earth, water, and salt, among others), in which the artist shares the authorship of the creative process with the environment. The highlight is Mama Muxima, which remained submerged in the lake's waters for three months.
Mama Muxima: the artwork born from a dream
The artwork was born from a dream. Christina recounted that she was climbing a mountain with a friend toward a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception. Inside the dark temple, she could not distinguish the image of the saint, only a red stain. "When the lights came on in the church, all I could see were the hearts," the artist recalls.
In the following days, a friend sent her a video of a church on top of a hill in Florianópolis. It was the Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Lagoa. Some time later, Christina discovered that in Angola, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima, the saint is also known as Our Lady of the Hearts. In Kimbundu, one of the country's national languages, muxima means heart. "I understood it was a sign. So when I created the painting, I did it thinking of Mama Muxima," she reveals.
The privileged view from the gardens of the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania overlooking Lake Maggiore in the background.
Three months submerged in Lake Maggiore
On June 5, 2026, Mama Muxima was immersed in Lake Maggiore, in front of Isola San Giovanni Borromeo. For three months the canvas was subjected to the action of time, sunlight, the weather, and aquatic beings, just a few meters from the hotel where it would later be exhibited. One night, Christina received a notification on her phone: "I received a video of the painting in the lake and a part of it floating away." The part carried off by the water was precisely the image of the saint.
The title of the exhibition synthesizes Christina's creative process, in which the natural elements merge with the works and collaborate with the artist. For her, this relationship also brings about an inner transformation: "When the sky invades the earth, it transforms the hearts of men."
Curatorship by Adelina von Fürstenberg and the artist's vision
The invitation to carry out the work in the lake did not come from her. "I wasn’t even the one who chose this place. The person who invited me to do it here was Adelina von Fürstenberg, the curator of the Art for The World NGO. I was immediately enchanted by the idea," she says. Adelina watched the canvas being placed in the lake, followed the process and the changes caused by the weather, right up to the moment when nature left its definitive mark on the work. "I accompanied everything from beginning to end," the curator says.
For her, the piece is the pinnacle of Christina's production so far: "It is a masterpiece; it is the best Christina has ever done." A motto she applies to all artists: "When looking at a new work, one should never say that the artist created a more beautiful piece in the past." According to the curator, the artist's most recent work must always be the most important.
The opening events at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania
The two opening events, carefully planned by architect Marcelo Mendonça in partnership with curator Adelina von Fürstenberg, were wonderful and unforgettable.
The dinner on the 11th and the cocktail reception on the 12th brought together hundreds of guests, among them the mayor of Verbania, Giandomenico Albertella; the Consul General of Brazil in Geneva, José Luiz Machado e Costa; and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Portugal, Lukas Gasser, as well as journalists, curators, friends, and colleagues of different nationalities who came from various parts of the world to honor the exhibition.
Mama Muxima was removed from the lake, completely transformed, before the event on the 12th, after three months of submersion.
Patricia Coelho Red attended the opening cocktail of the exhibition When the Sky Invades the Earth on September 12, 2026, at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania, where she took her first selfie (after countless attempts).
Practical information and recommendations
The exhibition remains at the Grand Hotel Majestic Verbania until October 31, 2026. Anyone who has the opportunity to visit will discover carefully selected original works capable of enchanting and surprising. I, who had the honor of attending both opening events, highly recommend it.
Exhibition:When the Sky Invades the Earth
Artist: Christina Oiticica
Presented by: ART for The World, in collaboration with Marcelo José Mendonça
Curatorship: Adelina von Fürstenberg
Venue: Grand Hotel Majestic, Verbania-Pallanza, Italy
Period: September 13 to October 31, 2026
Highlight:Mama Muxima, the work that remained submerged in Lake Maggiore for three months
Photographs (this post): Patricia Coelho Red
