Vistamare Gallerists on Post-Lockdown Reopening and Digital Strategies

Benedetta Spalletti and Lodovica Busiri Vici, co-owners of Vistamare gallery in Pescara (founded 2001) and Milan (since 2018), discuss their plans to reopen both locations on May 18, 2020, as per Italian government decree. They will continue current exhibitions: Anna Franceschini's 'Did you Know you have a broken glass in the window?' at Vistamarestudio in Milan and Armin Linke's 'SENZA RUGHE' at Vistamare Pescara. During lockdown, they launched 'Journal' on March 24, a virtual log posting twice weekly (plus Sunday specials) with archival materials, artist videos, and interviews, which will remain after reopening. They emphasize the need for state grants for the art sector, view virtual viewing rooms as temporary compromises, and stress that digital cannot replace real-life art dynamics. Their recipe for the future: 'passione, ossessività, desiderio' (passion, obsessiveness, desire). They are already planning a new project before summer break, believing art must anticipate the current moment.