The poor perception of the cultural value generated by galleries is a limitation.

How many and which contemporary Italian artists do you represent? How and when did you discover them?

Today the gallery represents eleven artists, six of whom are Italian. With some of them, including Diego Gualandris, I began working from the very beginning, when ADA was still a project space and the program was dedicated exclusively to promoting emerging Italian art. Later, with the commercial gallery, I initiated the other collaborations with the Italian artists I currently represent. Some of them, like Lulù Nuti and Marco Eusepi, I already knew, but our professional paths crossed "at the right moment." In other cases, such as with Andrea Mauti, they were introduced to me by other artists.

How difficult is it to support emerging Italian art? In your experience, what are the challenges compared to artists from other countries?

I believe supporting emerging art is not easy in general, and that every place or artistic community has its own challenges. Here in Italy, there is certainly a lack of support from institutions, both for the work of artists and for that of emerging galleries. One limitation is undoubtedly the poor perception of the cultural value we generate and the potential that our work could have in terms of cultural promotion abroad.

Conversely, what do you think are the strengths of contemporary Italian artists?

Creative intelligence on the one hand and a sense of community on the other. The fact of not receiving any kind of support or not being able to identify a contact within institutions has fostered individual initiative and the habit of supporting one another.

What characterizes the contemporary Roman art scene?

I believe the Roman art scene is characterized by a natural stratification. Ancient, modern, and contemporary flow together into a great and tangible history of the city. An immense richness for the contemporary scene is certainly the presence of foreign cultural institutes, which, through their residency programs, bring artists of different nationalities and generations to Rome each year, creating dynamics of exchange and integration with the local artistic community. As a gallery, I have had the privilege of collaborating with some of them on numerous projects. Among these are the Istituto Svizzero, Villa Medici, the Accademia di Spagna, and the Polish Institute. Furthermore, in recent years, many artists have decided to join forces and establish shared studios outside the city center, where costs would be unsustainable. Together, despite a city that is difficult to navigate, they have managed to create true artistic hubs, centers of production and debate, located in peripheral areas yet capable of attracting the interest of collectors and art professionals. I cite as an example Post Ex, founded in the Centocelle district in 2020 by a group of Roman artists including Lulù Nuti.

What was your path to becoming a gallerist?

A long apprenticeship. It certainly began with my studies—art history first, then art market after graduating. After that, arriving at gallery work was a natural consequence. I started as an intern, going through the various steps of professional growth. Before opening ADA, I worked in other galleries for about ten years, and without this hands-on training, I don't think I would have been capable.

What are the most useful tools for promoting artists in your work?

In my case, one above all is having built a community around the gallery. We are part of the same team—myself, the artists, our collectors—and as I always say, promotion by collectors is certainly one of the most effective tools.

What exhibitions and projects will involve your Italian artists in the near future?

Currently underway at the Macro is a large group exhibition titled UNAROMA, curated by Luca Lo Pinto and Cristiana Perrella, which inaugurates the museum's new exhibition season and will be on view until April 6. In this exhibition, Diego Gualandris, Andrea Mauti, Lulù Nuti, and Vittoria Totale are involved.

Furthermore, Diego Gualandris, who will open his next solo show at the gallery on April 10, has recently been announced as the winner of the Connessioni Urbane competition, promoted by the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in collaboration with Techbau S.p.A., and will be the creator of a major public artwork for the city of Rome.

Beyond national borders, Lulù Nuti will open an important solo exhibition at the Centre d’art La Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc in Thouars, France, at the end of April, while Andrea Mauti, who will present a performance at the gallery on March 27, is about to open an exhibition at the Eglisee Ice Rink in Basel, supported by GGG Kulturkick Basel. Finally, I was at Arco Madrid, where I presented a dialogue between the Spanish artist Blanca Gracia and Marco Eusepi. And then I will fly to Hong Kong for a group project on the occasion of Art Basel.