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Nicola Martini (Florence, Italy, 1984) lives and works in Milan. His sculptural practice is grounded in various processes of destructuralization and embrace an object-oriented philosophical approach. His works—made from organic and inorganic liquids, minerals, metals, plastics, archival or repurposed materials—reflect a unique discourse on history, durations of time, and perception.
His installations are conceived as spaces of experience, inviting the viewer to engage with these themes. In 2024, he was awarded the Henraux Sculpture Prize, and in 2021 received the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. His solo exhibitions include: 1669, Clima, Milan (IT, 2024); Testimone Perpetua, Toast, Florence (IT, 2022); Appunti dall’Inframezzo, Clima, Milan (IT, 2021); And Welded Skin, Galerie Philipp Zollinger, Zurich (CH, 2020); Molten, Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Berlin (DE, 2018); The Sober Day, kaufmann repetto, New York (US, 2015); Sippe, kaufmann repetto, Milan (IT, 2013); Nervo Vago, Museo Marino Marini, Florence (IT, 2012). He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including: Henraux Sculpture Prize, Fondazione Henraux, Querceta (IT, 2024); Panorama, curated by Cristiana Perrella, L’Aquila (IT, 2023); La Collezione Impermanente, curated by Lorenzo Giusti, GAMeC, Bergamo (IT, 2021); Performativity, Centrale Fies, Dro (IT, 2020); #80|#90, curated by Pier Paolo Pancotto, Villa Medici, Rome (IT, 2019); Black Hole, GAMeC, Bergamo (IT, 2018); Intuition, curated by Axel Vervoordt and Daniela Ferretti, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice (IT, 2017); A occhi chiusi, gli occhi sono straordinariamente aperti, curated by Luca Lo Pinto, Quadriennale di Roma (IT, 2016).
Overlooking the bay of Cornino and framed between Monte Cofano and Monte Erice, the village of Custonaci offers one of the most captivating landscapes of western Sicily. Its crystal-clear waters, limestone cliffs, and Mediterranean scrubland form the backdrop to a territory where nature dialogues with history. The Monte Cofano Nature Reserve is a true treasure chest of biodiversity, while the prehistoric caves, such as the famous Grotta Mangiapane, tell a millennia-old story, today brought back to life thanks to the museum and the living nativity scene.
At the center of the village, the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima di Custonaci holds a precious panel painting from 1521 and hosts every August the evocative Sbarco della Madonna, a reenactment blending faith and tradition. Devotion intertwines with art, among Baroque altars, wooden sculptures, and sacred paintings.
Custonaci is also a land of authentic flavors, where fish couscous, busiate al pesto trapanese, and traditional sweets like the famous spince are paired with local wines and inland products. The economic heart of the area is the Perlato di Sicilia, a fine marble exported worldwide, telling a long story of craftsmanship and local pride.
Giulia Monroy (Palermo, 1990) graduates in Exhibition Space Design and Museum Setups from the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo. She works in production within the field of visual arts. From 2017 to 2023, she was a gallery assistant at Francesco Pantaleone, and from 2021 to 2024, she served as a curatorial and management assistant for ZACentrale, Fondazione Merz. She collaborates with ruber.contemporanea and Fondazione Ghenie Chapels.In 2024, she founded studio moy, a project offering guided tours of artists' studios in Palermo. For Una Boccata d'Arte, she curated the projects of Ella Littwitz in Pollina (2023) and Nicola Baratto & Yiannis Mouravas's project in Sant’Angelo Muxaro (2024), in Sicily.