Antonello da Messina's Annunciation in dialogue with 8 contemporary artists at Palazzo Bellomo

At the Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse, a curated exhibition pairs Antonello da Messina's 1474 oil-on-panel 'Annunciation' with works by eight contemporary artists. Curated by Diego Cavallaro, Rita Insolia, and Michele Romano, the show also includes four historical paintings on the same theme from the museum's deposits, such as Domenico Gagini's 'Madonna che allatta il bambino' and works by Giovanni Ventura. Contemporary participants include Salvatore Alessi, whose 'Annunciata' depicts a Nigerian migrant wrapped in a gold thermal blanket; Elisa Anfuso, who explores maternal themes with surreal, Renaissance-inflected imagery; Giuseppe Colombo, who reinterprets Orazio Gentileschi's Annunciation by isolating the angel in a gold abstract space; Filippo La Vaccara, whose triptych 'Nunzia e Angelo' presents a faceless Mary and a horizontally truncated angel emphasizing the mouth; Antonio Gregorio Maria Ricci, who offers a neo-pop, ironic take; Benedetto Pomas, who shifts from annunciation to crucifixion referencing recent conflicts; Tina Sgrò, who paints empty spaces for viewer interpretation; and Samantha Torrisi, whose work features a praying figure enveloped in light. The exhibition is promoted by the Assessorato ai Beni Culturali ed all’Identità Siciliana to foster dialogue between Sicily's artistic heritage and contemporary practice.