Lucia Leuci at Remains of the church of San Martino / Fermo, Italy

Artist(s): Lucia Leuci
Curator: Matilde Galletti
Art space: Remains of the church of San Martino
Address: Palazzo dei Priori, Piazza del Popolo, Fermo
Duration: 01/12/2025 - 31/01/2025
Credits: Alessio Beato
Lucia Leuci, Divano anacronistico, 2024, Iron, resin, pigments, aluminium, brass, copper, 
90x73 cm
Lucia Leuci, Divano anacronistico, 2024, Iron, resin, pigments, aluminium, brass, copper, 
90x73 cm
Lucia Leuci, Cuscino floreale, 2024, Iron, resin, pigments, aluminium
, 36x63 cm
Lucia Leuci, Fornarina madre, 2024, Iron, resin, fabric, acrylic, alabaster powder, ash, eye shadow, blush, pigments, plastic, semi-precious stones, fossils
, 163x60x38 cm

Lucia Leuci, Fornarina madre, 2024, Iron, resin, fabric, acrylic, alabaster powder, ash, eye shadow, blush, pigments, plastic, semi-precious stones, fossils
, 163x60x38 cm

Lucia Leuci, detail, Fornarina madre, 2024, Iron, resin, fabric, acrylic, alabaster powder, ash, eye shadow, blush, pigments, plastic, semi-precious stones, fossils
, 163x60x38 cm

Lucia Leuci, detail, Fornarina madre, 2024, Iron, resin, fabric, acrylic, alabaster powder, ash, eye shadow, blush, pigments, plastic, semi-precious stones, fossils
, 163x60x38 cm

Lucia Leuci, Il vero riconosce il vero, 2024, Installation view
Lucia Leuci, Paesaggio con Fornarina in lotta con sé stessa, 2024, Iron, resin, pigments, ceramic, fabric, plastic, acrylic colours, hair, blush, aluminium, quartz, pearls, mother-of-pearl, semi-precious stones, fossils, neon, 
117x128x52 cm
Lucia Leuci, Fornarina che corre a dare l'allarme, 2024, Iron, resin, pigments, aluminium, quartz, pearls, mother-of-pearl, semi-precious stones, fossils, neon, 
97x84 cm
Lucia Leuci, Calpestio e treccia, 2024, Iron, epoxy resin, pigments, acrylic, bread, stones, quartz, obsidian, pearls, mother-of-pearl, fabric, 
36x50 cm
Lucia Leuci
, Voglio catene, 2024, 
Acrylic on paper, 23x31,5 cm (x3) Three unique and indivisible specimens


Lucia Leuci’s solo exhibition
Il vero riconosce il vero (‘Real Recognise Real’) takes its cue from a little-known episode in Fermo’s history: a specific and sometimes remembered event, especially in local circles, concerning the defeat of Fermo’s troops in a battle between Fermo and San Ginesio in 1377. Legend has it that when the Fermo citizens attempted to attack the village of San Ginesio during the night, it was a young woman, a baker awake and at work, who raised the alarm with her cries.

The idea of starting from a dimension of defeat rather than always extolling victories, achievements, honours and acknowledgements may provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the complexity of history and remember that it is not only made up of triumphs but also of difficult moments and downfalls which help shape the identity of the places we live. But not only that: according to Lucia Leuci, interest was certainly stimulated by the peripherality of this episode, the marginal position of the protagonist and the presence of bread – a food with an ancestral significance and recurrent in many of her works and projects.

The figure chosen by the artist as the starting point for the installations in the exhibition is a historical albeit little-known woman. A sort of ‘baker’s daughter’ – less disturbing than Raphael’s, but just as fascinating in terms of her authenticity. She was a local baker whose cries of alarm saved her town. From an almost forgotten episode in the town’s history emerges the determination of the female figure, whom Lucia Leuci considers to be endowed with character and a strength of spirit that is not commonly found in the male. This imagery lies at the heart of the intervention designed by the artist, intertwined with aspects related to the historical and architectural context of the city, such as its streets: ancient, worn, much-travelled and dirty, yet rich in formalism that the artist has managed to translate into images.

The observation of marginality, understood in its historical, social and architectural-urban aspects, has often been used by the artist to develop intensely visionary projects. Elements of everyday life, seemingly simple and easily overlooked, are transformed into figures and landscapes charged with strong emotional tension.

Il vero riconosce il vero is a quote from the world of hip hop, recalling an ethos rooted in the language of the street and urban culture, placing it as the key to the entire exhibition. This title thus embodies the principle that only those who are authentic can truly understand and appreciate the authenticity of others – a message that also finds resonance in contemporary cultural and artistic dynamics.

The exhibition will be set up in those spaces that are still accessible of the ancient church of San Martino, a twelfth-century building that once gave its name to what is now Piazza del Popolo. Its remains are preserved inside Palazzo dei Priori, built on top of the church in the late thirteenth century.

The Karussell_arte contemporanea project enjoys the patronage and sponsorship of the Municipality of Fermo as well as support from the Fondazione Marche Cultura and Fondazione Italia Patria della Bellezza.

Institutional partners: the Academy of Fine Arts of Macerata and the Academy of Fine Arts of Urbino.

Cultural partners: the MACTE museum in Termoli, P.I.A. training school for contemporary art (Lecce) and Salgemma project hub for art and online magazine.

Media partner: Radio Fermo1

Sponsors: Savelli Ascensori S.r.l. and Banco Marchigiano

 



Lucia Leuci
is a visual artist who lives and works in Milan. Her practice is articulated through drawing, painting, sculpture and installation, seen as primary and instinctive expressions, archetypal reflections that transcend individual choice. In her work, the performative act oscillates between intimate manual technique and collective sociality, the latter viewed as the sharing and transmission of both knowledge and actions. Through the juxtaposition of contrasting elements, often chosen for their emotional resonances with minute details coupled with research on both artificial and organic materials, Leuci explores the themes of motherhood, contemporary ‘Creole’ identity and our relationship with the environment. Her work reflects on how the landscape, both natural and urban, influences human relationships and creative processes. With a sensitivity towards sustainable materials and the recovery of waste, Leuci investigates the fragility of the relationship between humans and the environment, inviting reflection on the ecological impact of artistic activities. The materials thus become symbols of a tension between the artificial and the natural, evoking both the vulnerability of the ecosystem and the desire to reconnect with the Earth.
Leuci’s work also analyses a society in which social classes and nationalities dissolve into a homogeneous aesthetic, devoid of precise identity, a vision of life marked by standardisation and economic contraction. Objects thus become pretexts for evoking political, social and sentimental categories, opening up spaces for reflection on a more environmentally friendly coexistence. The proximity and dialogue between the elements are chosen with creative care, while proportions and rhythm are charged with expressive potential, becoming tools for communicating the profound meaning of her artistic research.
Among her recent solo shows: Anonymous Encounters in dialogue with Dorota Gawęda & Eglė Kulbokaitė, eastcontemporary, Milan (2022); La ragazza di città in dialogue with Carol Rama, Tempesta Gallery, Milan (2020); Prendersi cura curated by Christina Gigliotti, Polansky Gallery, Prague; Family Drawings in collaboration with Zoë De Luca, Unit110, Chinatown / New York (2018); Materia prima, Fondazione Adolfo Pini, Milan (2017); Mamme cattive, bambini creoli, TILE Project Space, Milan. Among her recent group shows: SUPERNATURAL – In the Same World, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan (2023); Wind Chime Exhibition curated by Ellie Hunter and Laurel Schwulst, NYC, BAITBALL (02) presente by Ginny on Frederick, Polignano a Mare (2022); Galatine curated by Like A Little Disaster, Berlinskej Model, Prague, Body Snatchers (The House) curated by Like A Little Disaster and PANE project, Polignano a Mare; SUPERNATURAL – In the Same World, Museum and Science Centre Luuppi, Oulu; Endless Nostalghia offsite project curated by Treti Galaxie, www.endlessnostalghia.com (2021); The Monstrous Bouquet curated by Mireille Tap, Omstand space, Holland; Northern Lights curated by Something Must Break, SUPERHOST curated by Like a Little Disaster and PANE project, Like a Little Disaster, Polignano a Mare; Swamp Horses, Spirit Vessel, Espinavessa; Surrogate Dreams curated by Underground Flower, Perth, Melbourne, Warsaw and Hong Kong; Vauva.fi, Titanik Gallery, Turku; Imbroglio (or the ability to incorporate possibilities), Like a Little Disaster, Polignano a Mare (2019); #coalescence, re.act contemporary residence programme co-curated by Ultrastudio and Scandale Project, Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, Azores Islands; StickerSUV curated by PANE project in partnership with BSMNT, Spinnerei, Lipsia; Some People Are Worth Melting For curated by Ginny Projects, Alltwinau Farmhouse, Llanwrtyd Wells; #videotutorials curated by PANE project and Media Naranja, Plage des Goudes, Marseilles + AQNB platform; Assiette ou Virage et Dérapage curated by Something Must Break, Milan; Biennale of Future Contemporary Arts, FSC, Copenhagen (2018); You would like that we were not here. But we are too emotionally absorbed by the home sickness of places that we’ll see only from the windows of our Bentleys curated by Something Must Break, OFluxo platform; Trigger Parties curated by Siliqoon, Marsèlleria, Milan (2017); BubbleTea curated by PANE project, Milan; Cupid’s Clearasil Country Bumpkin, Portland; A night out of town Clima Gallery, Milan.