Photographs by Antonello Di Gennaro dedicated to Michelangelo Pentasuglia
This exhibition brings together two artistic voices deeply connected to the cultural heritage of Matera: Antonello Di Gennaro, a photographer devoted to exploring narratives of place and identity, and Michelangelo Pentasuglia, a leading figure in the city’s papier-mâché tradition.
Through Di Gennaro’s lens, Pentasuglia appears not only as a master artisan but as a custodian of gestures and skills handed down over generations. The photographs do more than record finished works, they follow the making, the intimacy of the workshop, and the measured pace of craft.
The studio, filled with simple tools and raw materials, acts as a site of memory and narration. Hands, a recurring subject, stand for knowledge transmitted through patience, care, and dedication.
With tireless commitment, Pentasuglia has created many triumphal floats for the Festa della Bruna, shaping the city’s visual identity and collective imagination. His practice is rooted in tradition yet open to new forms, holding a careful balance between innovation and symbolic continuity.
Di Gennaro approaches this world with restraint and precision. His photographs function as testimony: each image fixes a moment and returns it to the viewer with clarity and respect. In this project, his visual language supports cultural recognition, safeguards memory, and offers a way to reconsider a living heritage.
The project is therefore more than documentation. It is an invitation to reflect on the beauty of manual work, the resilience of craftsmanship, and the value of transmission between generations. In a time when manual knowledge risks being overlooked, this visual narrative serves as both tribute and gentle resistance. It honours a master artisan and a culture that endures through the hands of those who create, protect, and renew it.
Carla Cantore | Curator, Lecturer at the Department of Systems Medicine for the 2nd Level Master in Neuroaesthetics, University of Rome Tor Vergata.
Antonello Di Gennaro | Visual Artist
Antonello Di Gennaro studied philosophy at the University of Bari and has been active in professional photography since 1992. His work embraces a range of specialized fields, including editorial and corporate photography, with a particular interest in design, the visual arts, and sculpture.
He is a distinctive voice in contemporary auteur photography, known for a visual language that combines artistic research with experimentation. His approach reflects a clear understanding of the dynamics of contemporary art, producing images that move beyond documentation to become artworks in their own right.
Through precise control of light, composition, and detail, Di Gennaro creates visual narratives that invite reflection and engage the viewer in dialogue. His photography brings together technical skill and creative vision, where aesthetic precision is paired with clear conceptual intent.
He has produced over 75 art books and catalogs for renowned publishing houses.
He has exhibited in national and international galleries, museums, and historical buildings, including:
Palazzo della Cultura – Anagni (FR), Auditorium Vincenzo Ferretti – Ragusa Ibla, Palazzo della Cultura – Enna, Arti Visive Gallery – Matera, Brera Art Institute – Milan, Modena City Hall, “Arte e Pensieri” Gallery – Rome, Celeste Gallery – Vicenza, Leonardo Sinisgalli Foundation – Montemurro (PZ), Floriano Bodini Civic Museum – Gemonio (VA), AMACI (Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums) – Milan, USSP Urban Stone Sculpture Park – Fanano (MO), Ducal Castle – Corigliano Calabro (CS), Cantine degli Scolopi Gallery – Fanano (MO), International Center for Italian Photography – Lishui (China), Norman Castle – Tricarico, Sensi Contemporanei, Anteo Palazzo del Cinema – Milan, Resonance Art Gallery – Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Museum of Ancient Grancia and Olive Oil – Rapolano Terme (SI), Statue Gallery of the Venturi Art Institute – Modena, Sala dei Passi Perduti – Milan, Ducal Palace Malvinni-Malvezzi (former stables) – Matera, Torre Salt Warehouses – Cervia (RA), Barletta Museum Hub (BT), Municipal Museum Mesagne – Brindisi, Former Postal and Telecommunications Building, University Multipurpose Center – Bari, International Photography Review – Orvieto, Space Museum – Matera, Historic Cavalcanti Palace – Verbicaro (CS), Contemporary Art Exhibition Halls at the Municipal Library – Tortora (CS), Triennale Exhibition Hall – Milan, Spazio Murat, Piazza Ferrarese – Bari, Monumental Complex of the Former San Rocco Hospital – Matera, Museum Rooms of the Municipality of Verbicaro (CS), International Biennial of Photographic Art, Riviera dei Cedri (CS).
His works are part of both public and private collections.
His projects have been published in various national art and architecture magazines.
In the field of corporate work, he has collaborated with several clients, including:
University of Naples Federico II, University of Basilicata, Triennale di Milano, La Scaletta Cultural Circle (Matera), Polidesign (Milan), Sensi Contemporanei and Opera Arte&Arti (Matera).
He collaborates with the Department of Photography at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien), the Malta Institute for Professional Photography (M.L.P.P.), FILMmuseum Wien, and the Malta Photographic Society.
Throughout his career, he has produced publications and editorial works featuring artists such as:
Umberto Milani, Libero Andreotti, Gaetano Martinez, Mario Negri, Leoncillo Leonardi, Carlo Levi, Luigi Guerricchio, Cesare Maremonti, Antonietta Raphael, Giorgio De Chirico, Marcello Mascherini, David Hare, Alberto Viani, Helidon Xhixha, Marco De Luca, Pietro Guida, Franco Gentilini, Ilario Fioravanti, Pasquale Cilento, Novello Finotti, Francesco Pesce, Francesco Marino Di Teana, Pier Francesco Mastroberti, Antonio Paradiso, Franco Di Pede, Giulia Sillati, Salvatore Sebaste, Roberto Almagno, Pino Lauria, Dario Carmentano, Rocco Molinari, Giovanna Bolognini, Giuliano Giuliani, Eduard Habicher, Michele Carpignano, Claudio Palmieri, Ernesto Porcari, Marialuisa Taddei, Donato Linzalata, Margherita Serra, Fausto Melotti, Domenico Ventura, Domenico Viggiano, Giulio Orioli, Donato Rizzi, Carlo Fusca, Stanislav Kolibar, and Louis Schreyer.