Francesco Gangemi – The Beauty of the Unfinished
Artist Residency
We had the opportunity to met an incredible artist at the beginning of this Autumn:
Gangemi Francesco Alessandro– @gangemi_art .
He contacted us to join our artist residency program with a full project: Vibrazioni di Palermo
If you want to join our program with your personal project contact us and
discover our art-experiences HERE .
He spent 4 nights at the hostel to evolve the idea he had and paint it, so….let’s meet him!
Who is Francesco Gangemi?
“How long have you been painting, Francesco?”
“Actually, I’ve been painting since I was a child, but I picked it up again a few years ago.
During a difficult period in my life, painting became a daily ritual and gradually took on a central role in my artistic journey. Today, I am developing my own visual universe, fuelled by my interest in structures, shapes and emotions.
I held my first exhibition last year in Switzerland. I actually studied theology and architecture, but then I decided to explore my artistic vision, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.
I’m still experimenting with every painting, exploring new techniques and new ways of looking at the same shapes.
My artistic work falls within the field of symbolic figuration. It combines figurative drawing, geometric compositions, hatching and painting. Through my work, I explore themes such as identity, emotions, movement, and the connections between people and places.
My works are often built around simple figures that gradually evolve through a network of lines and geometric shapes. Lines play a central role in my artistic practice. Through the accumulation and repetition of strokes, I create images in which organic forms intersect with more architectural structures.
My paintings often offer several layers of interpretation: behind an image that may initially appear minimalist, visual tensions, intricate lines and relationships between shapes and colours gradually emerge. Through this approach, I try to give structure to emotions and inner states.”
You can find his paintings on HIS WEBSITE.
How does your creative process evolve?
“I usually start with an idea of something I want to create, but I don’t necessarily know exactly what I want to communicate or what its message will be. That often emerges later, during the artistic process.
I make an initial draft on the canvas, then I might completely change my mind and cover it up, or add colour, new lines and layers of paint. So, for a single painting, there can be several different versions, and you can never really say whether a painting is truly finished!
I work with a palette knife, paint and gold colour. I also create sculptures using different materials, which I creatively assemble.”
“I often use ChatGPT as a sounding board when I’m painting. Artificial intelligence helps me organise the many ideas in my head and decide what to include and what to leave out. For example, while creating this painting, it has been helping me work on the texture of the background colour.”
What are you painting for the hostel residency?
“I would like to present a project entitled Vibrations of Palermo.
The idea is to create a symbolic painting depicting the silhouette of a traveller who gradually fragments, eventually merging with the city surrounding them.
Fragments of Palermo’s architecture, geometric lines, rhythms and traces of human encounters intertwine with the figure, telling the story of how the places we visit and the people we meet become part of who we are.
I explored Palermo through photographs, sketches and conversations, allowing these experiences to inspire and shape the artwork. At the bottom of the painting, I included a quote by Baudelaire that is particularly meaningful for Palermo city.”
Artist Residency with Francesco Gangemi
How did you come to Sicily, and what brought you to Palermo?
“I came to Sicily because I’m trying to trace my father’s roots. He passed away when I was very young, and his surname was Gangemi. I’m looking for families with this surname, which is quite widespread in Calabria and western Sicily.
However, I came to Palermo specifically because I knew there was an opportunity to take part in an artist residency here with you! I was really excited about the idea , so I proposed my project, Vibrations of Palermo.”
Our experience with Francesco
Francesco is a very sweet young man, perhaps a little reserved, but extremely focused on his artistic process!
He told us about the three cats he lives with: Feudartifice (fireworks), Bucky (as Bucky Barnes of Marvel) and Aslan (as the lion of Narnia). One day, one of them accidentally scratched one of his canvases, forcing him to rethink a piece that had seemed finished! Just like this one, none of his works ever reaches a definitive end. Every piece is constantly evolving, like a living artwork in a continuous state of transformation.
He was very kind and welcoming to everyone, and even joined us for our social dinner.
Before completing his artwork, he carried out extensive research into Palermo and its traditions. He enriched the painting with Messina beer labels, whose patterns reminded him of traditional Sicilian majolica tiles, and even went to a local newsagent to collect actual Palermo newspapers.
He observed the city’s architecture and also found inspiration in the hostel itself!
We are absolutely delighted with his artwork and can’t wait to hang it in the place it deserves at the hostel.
