Ingresso libero
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versione inglese: https://primopianospecialprojects.com/2026/08/30/2026-donato-bruno-leo/
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On Saturday, September 5, at 6:00 p.m, “Densità del Vuoto: Luce come principio generativo” (Density of the Void: Light as a Generative Principle) the new solo exhibition by artist Donato Bruno Leo, will open in the exhibition halls of Palazzo Martini, home to the M.A.M. (Archaeological and Messapian Museum of Oria-Brindisi).
The exhibition, curated by Dores Sacquegna, is part of the initiatives to enhance the Info Point Città di Oria, supported by the municipal administration through regional funding from the revolving fund. Within this context of cultural promotion, the exhibition takes the form of a dynamic dialogue between contemporary art and archaeological heritage, tracing more than twenty years of multidisciplinary research by the Apulian artist.
As the curator writes in the catalog: “From the visceral tensions of the ‘Renovatio Rerum’ phase—marked by intense reds, dramatic blacks, and conflicting forms—the artist has now arrived at a more essential style of painting, where light becomes a generative force. In recent works, such as “Solar Density,” “Crossings in the Void,” and “Vertical Presence,” earthy hues emerge from the black that surrounds them, creating visual frames that focus the gaze and transform the void into a space of revelation. Light is not represented: it arises from matter, guides, and opens passages.”
Alongside the artist’s new paintings and sculptures, the exhibition features the large canvases dedicated to the Muses and the *Kenosis* series, in which zoomorphic figures, primordial symbols, and essential lines engage in a dialogue with the archaic artifacts from the Archaeological Museum of Oria. Here, light becomes Epiphany: a primal gesture that brings presence forth from darkness. The sculptures, created as assemblages of wood, iron, and fragments, evoke Arte Povera without explicitly referencing it, reawakening the memory of the material and transforming the residue into form and narrative. Donato Bruno Leo’s work is now seen as a form of poetic resistance that explores matter, fragility, and light, restoring to art an ethical and spiritual role in dialogue with Heidegger’s concept of the Geviert.
Biographical Notes on the Artist
Donato Bruno Leo (Oria, 1957) lives and works in the province of Brindisi. A visual artist, set designer, and researcher, he has developed a transdisciplinary practice that encompasses painting, sculpture, photography, and film. His education, acquired in Rome, Naples, and Lecce, combines studies in philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, and evolutionary theory—elements that have shaped a body of work grounded in matter, imperfection, and transformation.
A student of Bruno Starita at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, he began his career in film on set with Lina Wertmüller and worked as an assistant set designer with executive director Vittorio Galiano on the film *Nero come il cuore*. In 1990, he collaborated with the production team on the opening credits for the RAI program *Processo ai mondiali*. Curated by Dores Sacquegna, he has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, notably the 2007 retrospective *Renovatio Rerum* at the Primo Piano LivinGallery in Lecce and two international events featuring permanent collections and awards, respectively from the Minister of Culture HE Zhenliang in Beijing, China, at the 2008 “Olympic Fine Arts” event in a group exhibition at the China International Center in Beijing, and from the Greek Ministry at the 2014 “Drink Helleborus” group exhibition at the Allotropia Museum in Antikyra, Greece.
Other international exhibitions include the London Biennale in the United Kingdom and the traveling exhibition *The Last Book* in Madrid, Zurich, Hamburg, and New York. Among his recent short films, his set designs for *Fuecu* and *Cirasi* are particularly noteworthy.
USEFUL INFORMATION
DENSITY OF THE VOID: Light as a Generative Principle
Solo exhibition by Donato Bruno Leo
Curated by Dores Sacquegna
Venue: Palazzo Martini – M.A.M. Archaeological and Messapian Museum
Address: Piazza Domenico Albanese, Oria (BR)
Dates: September 5 – October 25, 2026
September opening hours:
Monday through Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Thursday through Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
October opening hours:
Monday through Wednesday: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm | 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm; Thursday through Sunday: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Info and contact: Tel. 0831 369090 Tel. 379 1857974
info@comune.oria.br.it | 72024csc@gmail.com | primopianogallery@gmail.com