A new center dedicated to contemporary arts in Puglia is in progress. It happens in Fasano, in the Brindisi area, where the industrial center of the former IMARFA marble factory, located along the coast road between Torre Canne and Savelletri, is preparing to embark on a new phase, after a season of inaccessibility. Promoted by the San Domenico Onlus Foundation (with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, the Puglia Region and the City of Fasano), the redevelopment intervention involves the production complex and the surrounding area. The existing structure will be renovated to create 1250 m2 of exhibition space; a green area reserved for live shows and musical performances is also planned.MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO FOR THE NEW CULTURAL CENTER IN PUGLIAFor the President of the San Domenico Foundation, Marisa Melpignano, the recovery that has just begun “pursues the intentions of Sergio Melpignano, who years ago, with incredible foresight, he sensed the extraordinary potential of this territory”. Accompanying the start of the construction site was the inauguration of a monumental work by a master of Arte Povera: Michelangelo Pistoletto. This is Love Difference, a work made up of a series of neon signs that reproduce the words “love differences” in different languages around the world. Precisely by virtue of the political and social message it carries, it was significantly installed on the occasion of the G7. Conceived for the first time in 2005, and on this occasion chosen together with Galleria Continua, Love Difference will remain visible until October 20th. Furthermore, for the first time in almost twenty years of its history, the installation now overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, a crossroads of cultures and a connecting element of different lands and peoples. A MESSAGE OF PEACE ADDRESSED TO THE MEDITERRANEAN “Uniformity and difference”, writes Pistoletto in the Love Difference manifesto, “are the two antagonistic terms that represent the maximum conflictual tension in the current planetary reality. A policy that leads to ‘loving differences’ is vital for the development of new perspectives in the entire social structure”. At the same time, Pistoletto also conceived a new work, ConTatto, donated to each of the members of the G7, which depicts a hand that when reflected creates another virtual one. A warning, to remind us of the importance of balance between the natural and artificial world.[Immagine in apertura: Michelangelo Pistoletto, Love Difference, 2005-2024 neon, 6,40 x 40 m. Courtesy l’artista e GALLERIA CONTINUA. Foto: Cosimo Rubino]
