The story of an art space could be thought of as the story of the concept of place. Although the difference between the two terms is almost imperceptible, the former refers to a physical extension, while the latter has a close relationship with the socio-cultural entities that inhabit it, through a sense of conceptual freedom in contrast to what is common and not singular. The true lifeblood of those territories – where artist studios and exhibition spaces find their place – lies in the shared desire to make art. Therefore, any project conceived is not driven by the intention of ‘what can be done, but rather what one wants to do’. In particular, the cultural offerings of Palermo need to be discovered and narrated more than those of any other city, as from the 2000s to today, a steady transformation and development can be observed. In fact, the essential difference compared to other Italian cities is still little described: in Palermo, artists and their exhibition spaces do not work toward specific goals or achievements, but rather toward research and the enhancement of growth as a group. Although each artist follows their own individual path, they live and grow within the space thanks to shared projects that serve as a form of integration and response to their daily experiences. This raises the most immediate question: why have artists chosen to come together in these places? Often, it is due to the practical need to have a space outside the Academy of Fine Arts and their own homes in which to work, while also feeling the need to develop not just casual contacts, but strong relationships. There is a clear need to find a place where one can express themselves freely, where acting as a choice gives way to doing as a production of interconnected outcomes. Thus, what this collection of Palermo’s art spaces aims to bring to light is an art conceived as a shared and real activity, rooted in the life of the city and immanent to it, embedded in a deeply different social and cultural fabric.
Maria Tindara Azzaro, “Con il sole al tramonto”, 2025, installation view La Siringe, courtesy l’artista & La Siringe, Palermo
Since the mid-19th century, when artists began forming independent groups, the official art system has been marked by a fortunate fracture – one that allowed for greater freedom and visibility even to those outside the official circuit. Although many years have passed since then, today it is still necessary to ask to what extent the urban reality – composed of museums, foundations, galleries, exhibition spaces and collectors – wants to and is able to reflect the richness and diversity of the city. All the places mentioned below have different aims and exhibition programs and, although they are not part of the official exhibition network, they possess a distinct and impactful presence in Palermo’s artistic landscape. At this point, it’s worth asking whether the richness of this alternative channel can contribute to the diversification and shaping of collective taste, and whether there is truly an audience ready to embrace it. This last point is anything but secondary, as these new directions are extremely vital and require a constant relationship that is never one-sided, but rather plural. Thus, the collective strength of these groups is rooted in solidarity and network-building, not only among their founders but also in their broader ambition to create opportunities for dialogue and meaningful development by hosting national and international projects. Every artist thinks collectively first, and then individually. And this is precisely Palermo’s driving force – something lacking in other cities in northern and central Italy: a fortunate alchemy that allows differences to coexist in harmony, without ever cancelling or opposing each other. Everything that contributes to shared vision and dialogue is welcome. This rare and particular drive toward collective bonds is inspired by the city itself – a place where art manifests everywhere: in its rich cultural stratification, in its way of life, in the choice of words, in the food that nourishes it. It follows, then, that artists here possess a rare sensitivity that allows them to read, transform, and interpret the territory in which they live.
Maria Tindara Azzaro, “Con il sole al tramonto”, 2025, installation view La Siringe, courtesy l’artista & La Siringe, Palermo
Among the spaces that will be described, a common trait is the choice of name-often reflecting a need to identify with the history of the place, and thus with a belief system. La Siringe was founded in 2021 by Enzo Calò, Gabriele Massaro and Davide Mineo, with the collaboration of Carlo Corona. The small-sized venue features sound-absorbing panels on the ceiling, as the space was previously used as a rehearsal room and recording studio. The name of the place also ties directly to the everyday life of its location: via Merlo 28, a street name that echoes “syrinx,” the vocal organ found in birds. Of particular significance is the worn-down condition of the space – a tangible element the artists are inevitably challenged to engage with. In the exhibition Con il sole al tramonto by Maria Tindara Azzaro (S. Agata di Militello, Catania, 1999), the showcased work is a sculptural installation that seems to trace the silhouette of the mountain chains surrounding the city. Each fold of fabric, made from cotton poplin, is arranged in a fluid continuum – an orderly cascade of textile pleats revealing uninterrupted formations. Like a poem folded tone on tone, the forms evoke a false geological process, seeming instead intent on capturing the perfect suspension of a sunset moment – an imagined stasis of the mountains seen from the plains of the Conca d’Oro, upon which Palermo gently rests.
“New Generation flag “, installation view, 2025, courtesy Parentesi Tonde, Palermo
In via Discesa dei Candelai 21 is located )( artist run space, founded in 2022 by artists Roberto Orlando, Alberto Orilia, Rossella Poidomani, Francesca Baglieri, Antonio La Ferlita and curator Ilaria Cascino. Founded on the principle of freedom of action, the space – true to its name, which invites multiple interpretive readings – serves as a site of encounter and a space for free artistic and intellectual practice. Once a butcher shop in the early 20th century, then a greengrocer’s and later a warehouse, the venue now hosts projects conceived by both Italian and international artists. The exhibition New Generations flag, featuring the founding members themselves, centered on the symbol of the flag – not as a divisive or identity marker, but as an opportunity for a joyful interpretation of intimate memories. The device was thus deconstructed into a simple signal, transformed into a large photographic manifesto designed to collect fragments of the past or to embody the iconic ritual of a cherished memory. )( artist run space, as its name suggests, is a punctuation mark enclosing a parenthesis – a moment of isolation from context, but also a deliberate, willful space to live through projects and cultural tools that are not tied to a specific purpose, but are rich in interconnected functions.
Vanessa Traum y Los Perros, “Infinite Jest, io sono la tua insonnia”, 2025, installation view ALL, courtesy l’artista & ALL, Palermo
An equally structured reality is All – founded in 2024 by Cristina Giarnecchia and Adriano La Licata, and located in via Chiavettieri 29 – where both national and international artists work within methodical exhibition programs. The ‘everything’ which the name alludes to is understood as a totality that is never indivisible, but rather unified in a delicate balance between art, life and the urban environment. In this laboratory, through natural processes of successful inclusion, exhibitions are organized that bring together the restless madness of thought, its suffering, and its unpredictable spiritual momentum. On the occasion of the exhibition Infinite Jest, io sono la tua insonnia by Vanessa Traum y Los Perros, better known as Vanessa Alessi (Palermo, 1979), the space was transformed into a surreal environment. Through deep formal, linguistic, semantic and visual connections, infinite interpretative possibilities were traced. Like a dream, or perhaps a tranquil nightmare, the visionary madness of the artist emerges, expressed through complex formal relationships and diverse automatisms which, rather than imposing order, play on the variation of disorder and its infinite system of permutations.
Studio Topo, installation view degli studi, 2025, courtesy gli artisti & Studio Topo, Palermo
Equally marked by a visionary intent is Studio Topo, located in a former warehouse in Via Giovanni Dotto 21, founded in 2024 by artists Arianna Li Volsi, Claudia Boatta, Roberta Russo and Manfredi Di Piazza. The space was created to offer artists a place for both work and exchange. What most distinguishes it from other spaces is its invitation to open, vibrant dialogue – a sense of radical complementarity born from the conscious decision to abandon a “normative” art in favor of one grounded in felt and engaging artistic truth. All the works presented, taken as a whole, are characterized by extremely diverse elements: drawings, paintings and sculptures of an installative nature that often evolve into evocative performances. Altogether, the described spaces offer a wide constellation of research, thoughts, words, and visions that return an image of Palermo as a vibrant city, lifted by visionary energies that only art sets free without any fear.
Maria Vittoria Pinotti (1986, San Benedetto del Tronto) is an art historian, author, and independent critic. She currently is the coordinator of Claudio Abate’s photographic archive and Manager at Elena Bellantoni’s Studio. From 2016 to 2023 she was the Gallery Manager in a gallery in the historic center of Rome. She has worked with ministerial offices such as the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture and the Central State Archive. Currently, she collaborates with cultural sector magazines, focusing on in-depth thematic studies dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
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