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Luigi Presicce Discusses Artistic Practice and Community Engagement in Southern Italy

artist · 2026-03-20

Italian artist Luigi Presicce, born in Porto Cesareo in 1976, explores connections between art, geography, and tradition through painting, sculpture, and performance. Currently based in Florence but maintaining strong ties to Puglia, he co-founded Thalassa Gallery in Porto Cesareo with Salvatore Baldi, establishing the area's first contemporary art space. Presicce's career includes founding Milan's Brown Project Space in 2008, winning the 2011 Talenti Emergenti award at Palazzo Strozzi, and participating in initiatives like the Nuova Scuola di Scilla and Polka Puttana. His work emphasizes community engagement and challenges the commercialization of tradition, with recent activities including a residency at Kora Contemporary Art Center in Castrignano dei Greci.

Key facts

  • Luigi Presicce was born in Porto Cesareo, Italy in 1976 and works across painting, sculpture, and performance.
  • He co-founded Thalassa Gallery in Porto Cesareo, the first contemporary art gallery in the area, with Salvatore Baldi.
  • Presicce established Brown Project Space in Milan in 2008, creating the city's first artist-run project space.
  • He won the Talenti Emergenti award at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence in 2011.
  • His recent projects include the Nuova Scuola di Scilla and Polka Puttana, focusing on community-based artistic practices.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Thalassa Gallery
  • Brown Project Space
  • Kora Contemporary Art Center
  • Palazzo Strozzi
  • Fondazione Lac o le Mon
  • Accademia di Lecce

Locations

  • Porto Cesareo
  • Florence
  • Milan
  • Puglia
  • Castrignano dei Greci
  • Lecce
  • Chieti
  • Scilla

Sources