In Italy, in the heart of the ancient Marche village of Gradara – renowned for its extraordinary historical and scenic heritage – the fifth edition of Gradara Contemporanea has opened. This exhibition project brings Italian and international artists into dialogue with the evocative spaces of the Rocca, the MARV Museum, the Historical Museum and the splendid Villa il Conventino, transforming the village into a widespread stage for contemporary art. Among the artists selected for this edition stands out Melissa Barbanti, a discreet yet intense presence, whose work strikes for its evocative force and spiritual depth. Born in Ravenna in 1983, Barbanti began her artistic journey at a young age, graduating from the Art High School and later from the Academy of Fine Arts. Between 2004 and 2008, she exhibited regularly in solo and group shows, before suddenly pausing her public artistic path.

Opening Gradara Contemporanea at Museo MARV Gradara, photo credit Old School Photography, courtesy Gradara Contemporanea

It was only in 2025 that the artist chose to reclaim her creative identity. After a long period of silence, marked by complex personal experiences, Melissa made a radical decision: to leave the job that had anchored her to a daily life that no longer reflected her true self and to devote herself entirely to painting. A courageous choice matured over time and guided by the awareness that her artistic voice deserved to be heard, first by herself. Her return was marked by an intense and revealing solo show, Figurativo Segreto, hosted in the monumental spaces of Magazzini del Sale, Torre di Cervia. An anthology of works produced from the early 2000s to the present, the exhibition outlined a coherent and deeply intimate path, suspended between figuration and abstraction. Human and animal forms emerged from dark backgrounds like archetypal apparitions, immersed in a spiritual and earthly dimension. It is an art that speaks of transformation, of rebirth, of traversing shadow.

Melissa Barbanti, “Me, la mia dea”, 2025, enamel and mix media on canvas, 70 x 60 cm, photo credit of the artist

Darkness, after all, is a foundational element of her pictorial language. Every piece comes to life on black backgrounds, from which chromatic vibrations rich in meaning arise. In these shadowy zones lies the primordial energy from which everything originates. Light, in Barbanti’s works, is never decorative: it is a conquest, an emergence, a revelation. At the Gradara exhibition, two paintings in particular capture attention: Antares and Me, la mia dea. The former is a symbolic homage to the deep, transformative energy of Scorpio, the zodiac sign that rules the night, change, and mysterious femininity. The latter is a declaration of personal power: a painting that speaks of liberation, of an explosion of inner energy that emerges unstoppable. A woman who is all women. Melissa Barbanti’s universe is populated by symbols, archetypes and cosmic presences: the moon, crystals and natural elements become instruments of storytelling, while her painting becomes a ritual of healing. Each canvas is a threshold: the viewer is not a passive observer, but is invited to embark on an inner journey.

AA.VV., “Figurativo Segreto”, installation view at Magazzino del sale, Cervia , photo credit Matteo Pizzuti, courtesy of the artist

The rediscovery of her artistic voice has unfolded gradually. After her solo exhibition in Cervia, her works were selected by the Young Art Hunters association of Milan for a group show in Barcelona, at the Hub/Art gallery. And today, her painting – refined through solitude and deep listening – finds space and recognition once again in Gradara, where it will be on view until July 6, 2025. The story of Melissa Barbanti is one of quiet resilience. Of a talent that never ceased to exist, but simply waited for the right moment to resurface. Ultimately, it is the story of how art is never just production – it is a vital act, a necessity, something profoundly human.

Info:

Gradara Contemporanea V edizione
06/06/2025 – 06/07/2025
www.instagram.com/gradara_contemporanea

Greta Zuccali

Art consultant and curator focused on modern and contemporary art. Trained in law and Master in Art Market Management, she has founded the Hub/Art exhibition space in Milan in 2017. She currently lives between Milan and Paris where she collaborates with galleries and spaces dedicated to contemporary art.