For our Summer 2025 Artist’s Residency, we had the privilege of hosting Argentine artist, Damian Galassi. This encounter brought fresh inspiration and new ideas to our creative space. With his unique approach to street art, Damian enriched our place with his vibrant, full, and colorful style, weaving his art into the charm of Palermo.
As a result, he chose to paint a view of Cefalù: the Madonie hills in the background and the historic fishermen’s village at sunset.
In this article, we explore his life as an artist, from his origins to his current success as a muralist.
How did he develop interest in art?
Damian started getting interested in art in childhood, thanks to his father, a photographer, who instilled in him a love for color, structure, and composition. Initially, he pursued painting as a hobby while diving deeper into craft and jewelry making as professional art forms. After a few years, COVID hit, which, as we all know, changed everyone’s lives. For Damian, this meant he could no longer attend fairs or travel with his products. However, it also led him to be contacted by nearby towns to create murals and artwork with painting.
It was his encounter with the world of murals that marked a turning point. He founded Paréntesis Visual with a friend, an artistic collective focused on muralism. That experience allowed him to perfect his technique and fully immerse himself in the world of street art.
Why did he travel to Sicily?
Damian’s stay in Sicily came about due to a series of coincidences and opportunities, as always in life! Although his family has Italian roots, with his mother from Rome, it was a spontaneous trip that brought him to the island.
The presence of friends in Palermo and Marsala encouraged him to explore the island. Without a fixed plan, Damian bought a one-way ticket and found himself in Sicily, where he had the chance to explore new places and renew his inspiration and creativity.
He also had the opportunity to meet Julio Menna, our artist-in-residence last winter. (We invite you to read our article for more about his work – Julio Menna, Artist’s Residence.) Although they had never met before, both are connected by the kind of art they practice, muraals, and immediately recognized each other through the shared language of street art.
How did he discover A Casa di Amici?
Damian discovered A Casa di Amici online. While searching for new artistic opportunities in Sicily, he stumbled upon our website and our residency project. Intrigued by our artistic vision and collaborative approach, he decided to take the first step by reaching out and proposing his participation. If you, dear reader, want to participate in our residency exchange, don’t hesitate to contact us and present your work!
How does he approach painting and how does he work?
Damian takes a practical and fast approach to painting, especially with murals. “I start with a photograph, then digitally rework it, making collages and adding elements I like, such as animals or landscapes. From there, I create a digital sketch and focus on saturation and color,” he explains. He also carefully plans the amount of paint to use, aiming for efficiency, especially when working outdoors, where conditions can change quickly. For him, it’s essential to have everything prepared and studied beforehand so he can paint smoothly and without interruptions.
- What was our experience with Damian?
He arrived one evening unexpectedly, and we immediately made ourselves available to help him organize his work. As he told us during our chat, he didn’t want this trip to be purely work-focused. So, we found a good balance between painting and his trips outside the city, to discover Sicily and visit friends.
On his return from Marsala, he even gifted us some new plants—three orchids and a begonia—which quickly blended into our green terrace!
Listening to him share his story gave us a deeper understanding of his journey and taught us new ways to live from art. From our side, we are sure that this place, rich in artistic stimuli, has been a welcoming and positive environment for him. We would like to thank him for choosing A Casa di Amici as his artist residency. It was a privilege to host him and watch his art bloom into new and surprising horizons.
Don’t miss the chance to check out his portfolio, filled with works that tell unique and creative stories!
Visit Paréntesis Visual and follow him on Instagram.
