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[ EVENTS ]
NOMAD ART Island Tales is the title of the Yacht Art Gallery, the first event with travelling, floating art. It’s an idea from Bruno Montalbano, who wanted to bring contemporary art on board the stunning yachts he handles through Br1 by Blanche Chevallier - ph. courtesy by Br1
Left, Antonio Grulli, curator of this first onboard show, which this year focused on Sicily and its beauty. Further left, businessman and art collector Francesco Galvagno and the artists Francesco Lauretta and Francesco Balsamo
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ome ideas are inspired by a vision. And the YAG (Yacht Art
The exhibition, curated by Antonio Grulli, was made possible by
Gallery), the first travelling art gallery, began with a dream.
the collaboration of various artists and the Collica, Rizzuto and
The dream of Bruno Montalbano Peila, founder of Br1, a Maltese
Pantaleone galleries. The artists are from different generations,
yacht management company. “Bruno called me one day and talked
working in sometimes very different artistic languages. They are
about his desire to bring contemporary art onto the wonderful yachts
not all Sicilian-born, but all have been deeply affected by its beauty.
he deals with”, says Antonio Grulli, the passionate curator of this
Many, in fact, decided to move there, some coming from abroad,
first on-board show. “Imagine paintings and sculptures under way
and they have been adopted by their communities, showing that
across the Mediterranean during spring and summer, putting in at
the island is still an important centre for experimentation in art,
the most beautiful ports and sailing off unique beaches. Works of
a creative crucible stretching from Palermo to Catania, Modica
art visiting countries that are cradles of culture and civilisation,
to Scicli, including many small islands that in summer become
uniting the northern and southern worlds, the East and West.
workshops for experimentation and international creativity. Among
The idea immediately intrigued me and I thought of calling it
them: Francesco Balsamo, Alessandro Bazan, Francesco De Grandi,
“Island Tales” and to focus on Sicily. The island lies at the centre
Andrea Di Marco, Fulvio Di Piazza, Piero Guccione, Francesco
of the Mediterranean, a crossroads of beauty and contrasts for
Lauretta, Elisabetta Marino, Ignazio Mortellaro, Francesca Polizzi
thousands of years”. So a short time later, last spring the first
and Lola Schnabel.
YAG was held against the spectacular background of the Grand
The yachts become in their turn a laboratory where small and medium-
Hotel Rocco Forte Villa Igiea at the Villa Igiea marina in Palermo
size paintings and sculptures are displayed in the communal areas
– a contemporary art exhibition held on a magnificent yachts, an
and cabins. An itinerant art gallery, sailing around the Mediterranean
unprecedented nomadic exhibition space that cruised around the
for an entire summer. And the second edition in 2024 will fulfil the
Med for an entire summer.
dream of visiting Venice during the city’s contemporary art Biennale.
Above, some of the yacht spaces made available by the Br1 management company. The yachts have been transformed into art galleries to host the first YAG. The art works are by artists from different generations using a variety of artistic languages, all inspired by the beauty of Sicily
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