Diana Di Nuzzo is an independent curator and writer born in Florence, Italy, with a background in Semiotics from the University of Bologna. Her lifelong fascination with color, pattern, and storytelling has guided her through a vibrant journey across London, New York, and Barcelona. Deeply engaged with New Contemporary Art and visual culture, she has interviewed numerous artists and contributed to various international media outlets. Diana’s curatorial work is driven by a love for narrative and a desire to see the world through ever-evolving lenses.
When did you first fall in love with art? For you, what is the importance of the arts? I do believe it was in front of an Amazon painted by Kandinsky...or probably because of the print of Guernica my parents had in a corridor, or maybe when I saw for the first time Sandro Botticelli's Spring...
Art is a glue, something where we leave the tiring world of words and we let ourselves meander through dreams and all kinds of trips...
What does your typical day look like? And what do you love about your job? I listen to several different kinds of podcasts and read news, together with visiting art studios, keeping a word-based journal, and an image-based one. I love meeting people who have the chance to think through different patterns than most of the people use...
Without revealing too many secrets, can you share a hint about the kind of work or artist you're currently focusing on? I am hoping to put together a show of somebody who is not that well known YET, but it is all top secret STILL.
Is there a single artwork that holds a particularly deep significance for you? Primavera di Sandro Botticelli
If you could share a long dinner conversation with any artist—past or present—who would it be? Leonora Carrington
A great thing about living in Florence is the amount of public spaces, public artworks and public care for the arts.
The main characteristic of a good curator is being open to the others and trying not getting spoiled by the mainstream perception of reality.
What is your favourite epoch? Etruscan times.
Your heritage seems to play a strong role in your perspective—how has your background helped shape your curatorial voice? I have a cultural background that goes before Christ, I come from Magna Grecia and Partenope has been my muse and model.
Can you recall a time a project truly tested you, and how you found your way through it? I have curated the show of an Italian photographer called Aldo Fallai (in Scarperia, to be exact, at Spazio Brizzolari), while the main character of the photos, the Italian painter Antonio Brizzolari, was already dead. My research has been quite hard since I wish I could have spoken with Antonio, but I could just use the voices of those still here... I have overcome the challenge of diving into the psychological dynamics that were connecting all his friends and witnesses, in order to build the most authentic story possible.
How do you balance the creative vision of an exhibition with the practical constraints of budget and space? I have been struggling with the lack of budgets so many times that I am now used to it. I do believe that artists are the main source of inspiration when it comes to putting together a show, quite often their vision is the one I prefer to respect in order to translate their maximum will.
How do you see the power of museums and galleries when it comes to reflecting and shaping social narratives? Museums and galleries have a huge power, but the public perception does not always fit into my personal narrative. I believe that the educational aspect of a show depends on the quality of the work itself. I prefer to choose a figurative language, no matter what, since it does communicate more immediately (and not too much intellectually) with everyone.
When working with artists, how do you foster collaboration while respecting both institutional goals and the artist's personal vision? I tend to take care of the communication with whomever LIVE because the personal relationship with the artist is what interests me the most, and I do appreciate the contribution of each singular individual in any institutional context.
What approaches do you take to make sure exhibitions resonate with the communities they’re shown in? I always try to do my best in order to get in touch with media, social media, influencers, and whoever I am aware of in my physical space.
Looking back, is there someone whose mentorship helped shape your path—and what would you tell those starting out in the arts today? I have studied in the school of Umberto Eco (Discipline Semiotiche in Bologna) and his approach to narratives in general has shaped my way of understanding all kind of signs. The advice I always give to everyone is to travel in order to understand different kind of perspectives.
What excites you most about the early stages of building a new exhibition? I dig the story and search for any possibile point of view in a narrative in order to understand all the perspective I can master.
Can you describe your experience with curatorial practices and collections management? I have recently curated a show in La Specola (a great university museum in Florence), with the work by painter Giovanni Lopez, earlier I have curated painters such as Giulia Huober, Chiara Crescioli, Luigi Lanotte, earlier than that the show "A+A" with photos by Aldo Fallai of Antonio Brizzolari...managing a collection is something that can be quite easy if the people around you are aware of what they are dealing with, but it can be also quite complicated if there is not enough understanding of the narratives in play. Personal issues are always tricky when it comes to dealing with artists' families, and time hides so many details that may be quite useful if taken into consideration.
AI is changing the way we see the world, creativity, authorship, and our ideas of beauty. With all the talk around AI and creativity, what role do you think technology should—or shouldn’t—play in curating and art-making today? I do believe that the use of AI can help with time management but I have the strong feeling that those are only machines and no machine has the heart, soul or mind of a human being, anything that is handmade for me has more value than any product built by a machine. I am tired to listen to this hype, I will never believe that a machine can be better than a human, we made the machines, if we keep using our imagination we will always THRIVE.
@dianadinuzzo
