Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Tuesday 14 April 2026, Lart Universe Gallery held the opening vernissage in Luxembourg-Ville of “Underground Painting” by Fausto De Nisco, with curator Benjamin Levi guiding visitors through the collection of modern and contemporary art.
The exhibition presented a selection of 20 works, which, according to the gallery, invite viewers into a “dynamic visual universe exploring themes of signs, memory and transformation”.
Speaking with Chronicle.lu, curator Beniamino Levi, who has more than 70 years of experience in the art world, explained that the team installed the exhibition over two days, aiming to create a balanced path that allows visitors to “gradually enter the artist’s pictorial language and perceive its multiple chromatic and gestural stratifications”.
He added that the title “Underground Paintings” refers to a “subterranean” form of expression that emerges from beneath the surface, evoking hidden dimensions of memory, emotion and inner experience. Rather than depicting recognisable subjects, the works reflect internal processes, where colour, gesture and layered marks give shape to what often remains unseen.
“Within this process, the titles of the works also assume an important role. They function almost like a small Ariadne’s thread: they do not explain the painting but offer a direction, a clue, a possible point of entry into its complexity,” he said.
Asked about how viewers understand the artworks and the artist’s intent, Beniamino Levi highlighted that “encountering a work by Fausto De Nisco is always a deeply personal experience”, where each painting creates “an open space in which the gaze can wander, lose itself and continuously rediscover new paths and meanings.”
He explained: “While the artist initiates the process through gesture, colour and composition, the work truly comes to life through the gaze and sensitivity of those who observe it.” From a curatorial perspective, he added that his "role is not to impose a single interpretation but rather to create the conditions in which this encounter can occur".
Asked about his collaboration with the artist while working on the exhibition, Beniamino Levi highlighted that his professional experience working with major figures such as Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí has shaped his approach to curating as “a deep listening to both the artwork and the artist,” rather than imposing an interpretation.
Speaking about Fausto De Nisco, he noted that the work developed through “an attentive and continuous dialogue” with the artist, aimed at presenting his visual language as faithfully as possible.
Levi described curating as “an act of mediation”, bringing together the artist’s experience, the history of the work and the viewer’s perspective without imposing a single interpretation.
The exhibition is open to public and will run until Sunday 10 May 2026.
