Galleria Continua is pleased to host, in its most long-established location - the cinema/theatre of San Gimignano, the international preview of “Galleria Continua. The Abilty to Dream”, a documentary produced and made by Sky Arte and
TIWI that tells the story of the gallery.Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi and Maurizio Rigillo, founders of Galleria Continua and Associazione Arte Continua APS, would like to

thank Sky Arte and TIWI for wanting to tell the story of over thirty years of activity through the images, memories and voices of some of the protagonists of this incredible adventure. Together with theartists,artisans,curatorsand all the people who have supported the Continua project in recent years, they also wish to thank the entire team, both from the gallery and from the association, for their passionate work and unreserved participation,theyaretheengine that feeds “the ability to dream” every day.Speaking of Continua, Dino Vannini, Sky’s Head of Documentary and Factual Channels writes: “Telling thestoryofGalleriaContinua,one ofthemostinfluentialinternationalcontemporaryartgalleries,founded thirty years ago in San Gimignano, was in many ways like telling the story of a rock group or the epic tale of a great sports team : the penchant for risk, the courage, the strokes of genius and the kindness of founders Lorenzo, Mario and MauriziohavemadeContinuaunique in its kind, an example of vision, hard work and passion, which over the years has allowed it to become both a promoter and a reference pointformanyofthemostimportant artists in the world. For this reason, but also for its ability to demonstrate that nothing is impossible for those who pursue a dream with commitment, it is easy to understand why Sky Arte has decided to dedicate a documentary to this adventure. Of course, it’s just one part of the adventure, because it’s not over yet!”.Alongside the viewing of the film, Galleria Continua opens the group exhibition,“TheAbilitytoDream”, which is intended to be a tribute to all the gallery’s artists. It is thanks to each individual artist, to the mark they have left, to their contribution, to the roads
they have opened and embarked upon, that this story has taken shape and has been able to develop and unfoldovertheyearsasafreshand colourful storyline.Galleria Continua opened in San Gimignano in 1990, on the initiative of three young friends who began their adventure with a space in Via della Rocca in San Gimignano, in the middle of Tuscany, aiming to bring contemporary art to a rural context,awayfrombusymetropolises and cultural centres. The name of the gallery comes from the desire of the three founders to sublimate the link between past, present and future: San Gimignano is today known as a city of art thanks to the historical-artistic heritage that thecityhaspreservedforcenturies and which includes masterpieces of Italian art including works by Benozzo Gozzoli, Ghirlandaio and Pollaiolo. However, this legacy thattoday we would define as “ancient” was contemporary in its time and for this reason it is essential to “continue” to support, promote and enhancetoday’sartisticexperiments in order to make new stories and memories.The project carried out by the gallery has developed over the course of 32 years and today has 8 locations on 5 continents: Galleria Continuawasthefirstforeigngallerywith an international program to open in China in 2004, and then, after three years, to inaugurate a new space in Les Moulins, in the Parisian countryside, used for major interventions and exhibitions. In 2015, the gallery embarked on a further journey in Havana, Cuba, with the aim of transcending all types of borders. In 2020, the gallery opened a new exhibition venue in Rome, inside The St. Regis Rome Hotel as well as one in Brazil, Galleria Continua São Paulo, located within the Pacaembu sports complex with an inclusive space, far from the canon of the

“white cube”. In 2021, the gallery arrived in the heart of Paris, in the Marais district, where it is possible to visit exhibitions, buy food and wine products from all of the Galleria Continua locations and enjoy delicious ice cream thanks to the collaboration with the San Gimignano-based Gelateria Dondoli. Also in 2021, the gallery opened a new space in Dubai at the Burj al-Arab, the iconic sail-shaped building located off Jumeirah beach.The exhibition “The Ability to Dream” presents a nucleus of works that includes the work of all the artists who, from the beginning, have accompanied the gallery on this journey, but also of those who have come aboard in more recent times.Each selected work testifies to the unique bond that has been created over the years between Galleria Continua and its sixty-six artists. This immersive journey, which includes the documentary “Galleria Continua. The Ability to Dream”, promises to be an explosion of stories and tales from all over the world, a concrete representation of a goal shared by Continua: to be a meeting point for everyone through art.The relationship with space is of fundamental importance as it evokes visions and sensations belonging to other eras. In the past, The Cinema Teatro Nuovo in San Gimignano was a very popular place for the local community and, after a long period of inactivity, it also risked being transformed into housing and accommodation for tourists. Since 1995, the year the gallery came to the site,this building has inspired many artists over the years, becoming itself the protagonist of some works that are revived today in this exhibition. Today the cinema has become an incubator of avant-
garde artistic projects capable of overcoming the difficulties of such an original and characteristic space and transforming them into a unique opportunity to hold major exhibitions and cultural events.The exhibition was conceived with the intention of creating an immersive experience capable of drawing the public into a place where the visitor can encounter unusual objects, fantastic characters and installations that play with light and colour or that defy the laws of physics, space and time.Galleria Continua represents a desire for continuity between the centuries, an aspiration to participate in the writing of the history of the present day, demonstrating its awareness of contemporary creative practices and preserving the link between past and future while celebrating the diversity of places, cultures, individuals and communities.“All’Arte, all’Amore, all’Amicizia. L’unica tripla A per cui vale la pena impegnare il grande dono di essere al mondo.”(Lorenzo, Mario e Maurizio)“To Art, to Love, to Friendship. The only three things for which it is worth committing the great gift of being in the world.”
(Lorenzo, Mario and Maurizio)