From Passion to Creation: The Lives of Veronica Lai and Gian Franco Fois, Ogliastra Artists Between Roots and Innovation

• 17 March 2025
• Meet Locals & Experiences
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Ogliastra continues to prove itself a fertile ground for talent and creativity, with the stories of Veronica Lai and Gian Franco Fois serving as shining examples. Two different life paths, united by a deep connection to the territory and a strong artistic vein, which today see them as protagonists of the local creative scene.

Veronica Lai, originally from Chiavenna, wove her existence in various corners of Sardinia, with a significant period of nine years spent in Ulassai, a town that profoundly marked her imagination, also due to her admiration for artistic figures of the caliber of Maria Lai. Her move to Bari Sardo, her parents' hometown, at the age of fourteen, represented a return to her roots, but did not extinguish her thirst for knowledge and her fascination with art, further fueled by encounters with Jorge Eielson and Michele Mulas.

After classical studies and a university experience in Cagliari, Veronica chose to dedicate herself to managing the family hotel business, a commitment that allowed her to observe the territory from a privileged perspective. Her multiple interests – from photography to theater, from poetry to local legends, up to agriculture and politics – have contributed to shaping a polyhedral and passionate vision of her land.

For twenty years, her creativity has been expressed through the working of dry prickly pear wood, a humble material that in her hands is transformed into surprising works, often juxtaposed with recycled elements in a dialogue between nature and ingenuity. Today, Veronica lives in Bari Sardo, where she continues to cultivate her art and her connection with the territory.

Alongside Veronica, the figure of Gian Franco Fois shines, born in Nuoro but a Bari Sardo native by adoption. From childhood, his inventiveness and artistic spirit pushed him to create and experiment, an attitude that has accompanied him throughout his journey. His diploma from the Art Institute of Lanusei in goldsmithing and metals represented the first step of a journey that took him far from Sardinia, first in the Navy and then to Ireland, where for six years he worked in the fashion sector in Dublin.

The call of his land and family needs brought him back to Bari Sardo, where he resumed his career in the Navy, reconciling work commitments with his passion for art and creative recycling. The years spent as a firefighter at the Perdas de Fogu base did not extinguish his artistic vein, which manifests itself in the creation of furnishing accessories, jewelry, bioethanol stoves, and other ingenious creations, often the result of reusing waste materials.

Today, retired in Bari Sardo, Gian Franco continues to give shape to his creativity, demonstrating how art can also be born from recovery and transformation.

The stories of Veronica Lai and Gian Franco Fois represent a precious heritage for Ogliastra, testifying to how passion, curiosity, and connection with the territory can generate original and significant artistic expressions, enriching the cultural fabric of the community. Two artists who, with their works, narrate the authentic soul of this fascinating region of Sardinia.