New Contemporary Art Space Opens in Latronico, Italy

A new contemporary art space, A Cielo Aperto / Spazio per il contemporaneo, has opened in Latronico, a town in the Pollino National Park in Basilicata, Italy. The initiative stems from the local Associazione Culturale Vincenzo De Luca, which has been active since 2005. The association purchased a building at Via Ciro Menotti 5 in the historic center of Latronico, inaugurating the new space on Friday, August 18, 2023, at 6:30 PM. The opening exhibition showcases projects realized with citizens, displaying documentation and artworks to reflect on past activities and foster future discussions on territorial contexts. On Saturday, August 19, 2023, the intervention "Stormi" by artist Valentina Furian (born 1989 in Venice, lives and works in Milan) will open, curated by Giovanni Viceconte. Furian's project, developed during a residency in May 2022 and July 2023, explores local traditions of medicinal herbs, anthropological rituals, and myths, involving community members such as herbal expert Antonio Perretti, geologist Vincenzo Matinata, ceramist Venanzio Carlino from Lagonegro, and Umberto Giordano of Sosa's Cocktail Bar, who created a beverage to "activate" Furian's alchemical-zoomorphic sculptures. The association has also contributed to the founding of STARE-Rete delle Residenze d'artista italiane and operates as a third-sector entity funded by members.