Kimano Design's Cantùni Collection Transforms Gibellina's Public Spaces

Gibellina, the Sicilian town rebuilt after the 1968 Belice earthquake, is the focus of a new design project by Kimano Design, founded in 2022. Art director Gabriele D'Angelo (born 1989 in Alcamo) conceived the Cantùni collection, a series of marble objects that prioritize emotional resonance over functionality. The pieces are made from Diaspro, a rare red-and-brown-veined stone from Custonaci, locally called 'breccia pontificia' for its use in Baroque churches in Rome. The project includes a photographic narrative curated by Chiara Puglisi. D'Angelo describes the objects as 'evocative presences' that dialogue with the town's land art works created from the 1970s to the 1980s by artists such as Pietro Consagra, Alberto Burri, Ludovico Quaroni, and Franco Purini, commissioned by then-mayor Ludovico Corrao. The name Cantùni derives from the Sicilian word for 'corner' or 'nook,' also evoking the tradition of testing stone by striking it to make it 'sing.' The collection's centerpiece is the Kimano One Off, a slab of Diaspro elevated to art status. Other contributors include Studio Algoritmo, Mario Alessiani, and the duo Omar Tonella and Federica Delprino. The project aligns with Gibellina's designation as Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026.