Tomaso De Luca's Contemporary Art Invades Potenza's Archaeological Museum

The exhibition 'The Passive Vampire' by Tomaso De Luca (Verona, 1988) opened at the Museo Archeologico Provinciale in Potenza, Italy, running until October 30, 2016. Curated by Lorenzo Benedetti and promoted by the association Visioni Future (president Aldo Colella), the show originated from De Luca's 2015 residency in Basilicata, which also produced a project for the group exhibition 'L'albero della Cuccagna' curated by Achille Bonito Oliva. De Luca chose the museum for its potential to create a dialogue between his polimateric sculptures and the ancient artifacts. The title references a 1945 book by Romanian artist and poet Gherasim Luca. The museum, which recorded nearly 700 visitors in August 2016 (almost double the previous year), exemplifies how contemporary art can revitalize peripheral archaeological museums. Colella and Benedetti emphasize the fragility of De Luca's metal sculptures, which appear suspended and vulnerable. The article cites precedents such as Achille Bonito Oliva's series at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (starting with Francesco Clemente in 2002, up to Damien Hirst) and Valerio Dehò's 2012 project with Ferdinando Scianna at Palazzo Panichi in Ascoli Piceno.