Gandolfo Gabriele David's Fishing Net Art Lands in Palermo

The Lur Sareak/Reti di Terra project by artist and performer Gandolfo Gabriele David (born 1968 in Polizzi Generosa, PA) has arrived in Palermo after starting in 2017 on the island of Ustica, Sicily, and later traveling to San Sebastian in the Basque Country and Sète, France. The exhibition at the Istituto Cervantes, housed in the Church of Sant'Eulalia dei Catalani in the Vucciria district, is curated by Federica Fruttero and is part of the Palermo leg of the Sète-Palermo Festival, which is an event of the third edition of BAM – Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo. David's works are created by performing a ritual learned from fishermen: he soaks nets in glue and earth (the earth from San Sebastian, offered by participants) and throws them repeatedly onto a canvas on the ground, producing unique images. The project explores the connections between Italy, Spain, and France through shared traditions. According to David, "Art cannot change the status quo but can ask questions and dismantle obsolete perspectives and visions to make us reflect on current emergencies." Critic Lori Adragna writes that the performance gains power as meaning builds through personal experience, and the action becomes a ritual that transforms the everyday context into a stage.