15-17
05 2026
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Portrait

Flavia Prestininzi

Cantadora

Founded in Rome in 2025 by Flavia Prestininzi and Enrico Palmieri, CANTADORA is an exhibition space dedicated to storytelling across different geographies. It promotes a participatory and pedagogical approach, addressing urgent social and political issues. The gallery adopts ethical and sustainable practices, fostering awareness and critical dialogue. Each exhibition emerges from a collaborative process with the artists, within an inclusive and safe environment.

What do you think the next “revolution” might be in the gallery sector and, more broadly, in the art market?

In our field, it is essential to integrate the commercial dimension with the curatorial and research-oriented one. Artists, especially those of the younger generations, feel the need to express themselves freely, beyond market pressures, while still maintaining an active dialogue with it. Galleries, as in the past, have the responsibility to embrace these needs and to work toward building collaborative relationships that involve public institutions, researchers, as well as the world of collecting.

Flavia Prestininzi
Founder and curator

The selection of artists therefore stems from this intersection of observation, exchange, and affinity. In this sense, the advantage of having international academies here in Rome allows us to naturally explore a transnational dimension, engaging with diverse practices and perspectives that enrich and expand the gallery’s program.

What do you think the challenges to be faced in the near future will be?

Trying to remain authentic and consistent with our original intentions.

Tell us about the space you chose for the gallery and the urban context in which it is located.

We chose to open CANTADORA in the Appio Latino district, and more precisely in Piazza Galeria, within a courtyard with a predominantly industrial character. It is a large space that naturally invites people to pause and spend time there.

The site, which also hosts a historic auto body shop, had previously housed an artist’s studio and, following our opening, has been enriched by the creation of an artist archive. This contributes to shaping a living and constantly evolving context. It is an unusual space, especially due to its location right next to the Aurelian Walls: an almost hidden setting, but precisely for this reason capable of surprising. People who come to visit us are invited — and often choose — to stay, take their time, get to know one another, and engage with both the gallery and the surrounding space. It is, without a doubt, a lucky spot.

How do you structure the gallery’s program? How do you choose the artists you work with?

We shape the gallery’s program through an ongoing practice of research and direct dialogue with artists. We carry out many studio visits, which are essential for us in order to fully understand artistic practices and build relationships over time. At the same time, we closely follow residency programs that we consider particularly interesting, as they are often places where especially vibrant and experimental research emerges.

The selection of artists therefore stems from this intersection of observation, exchange, and affinity. In this sense, the advantage of having international academies here in Rome allows us to naturally explore a transnational dimension, engaging with diverse practices and perspectives that enrich and expand the gallery’s program.