Housed within the walls of a picturesque medieval Tuscan town, lies a most unexpected treasure. Not one steeped in antiquity as you may imagine, but one that is certainly making history in the realms of contemporary art. Galleria Continua occupies the former theatre-cinema of San Gimignano and now in its 25th year, is world- renowned for staging an ever evolving exhibition that fosters artistic collaborations between established and emerging artists.
The building itself is relatively unassuming, in an exquisite renaissance sort of way, and merges seamlessly with its neighbouring facades. However the interior, long since stripped of ground-floor furnishings, retains a fringing of upper gallery box seats and reveals a series of adjoining spaces that have played host to art greats such as Anish Kapoor, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mona Hatoum, Ai Weiwei, Antony Gormley, and many, many more, currently Cildo Meireles, Various Artists and Marcelo Cidades.
Established to offer contemporary art a strong connection with historic place, one that maintains a living continuity between generations, it does just that. Set in ancient bones, Galleria Continua for me, fuels a provocative conversation between the art, its relationship to the architectural structure and of course with us, the audience. Since opening in 1990, founders Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi and Maurizio Rigillo have taken Galleria Continua across the globe, siting gallery spaces in Beijing, Les Moulins near Paris and Havana. A remote location, a fascinating proposition and another culturally enriching Tuscan day.
