Giacomo De Luca: "The Body as Relic" at MUST, Lecce

Until 18 May 2026, MUST – Museo Storico Città di Lecce presents the first Italian solo exhibition by Giacomo De Luca, titled The Body as Relic – what remains of the egg, between resistance, archive and spirituality in the contemporary. Curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi and Matteo Scabeni, the project unfolds across sacred sites, institutions and unconventional spaces in the Salento area.

The artist's research

De Luca's practice develops the notion of the "Body as Relic": the body conceived as a living archive that retains individual and collective memories, traumas and historical layers. Using a transdisciplinary approach, he weaves together sculpture, video, dance and performance to reveal how the body somatises the imperceptible and becomes a device for poetic resistance.

Main works on display

• Double Shell – a glass installation with fragments of eggshell treated with myrrh, invoking themes of purification.
• Untitled (Chair) – a suspended chair covered in a mosaic of shells, turning a common object into a container of intimate trauma.
• The Academic – training garments coated with resins and fragments that transform into organic reliquaries charged with spirituality.
• Madonna – a stone sculpture suggesting a movement toward release from traditional religious burdens.

Why see it

The exhibition delivers a multisensory encounter that exposes organic matter and performative gestures: it invites visitors to engage with works that convert scars, postures and everyday objects into testimonies of expanded time. De Luca is also the sole Salento-based artist included in the international mapping Futuri Emergenti Italiani (under 35) 2026, highlighting the European recognition of his practice.

Practical information

• Venue: MUST – Museo Storico Città di Lecce, Sala Marianna Elmo
• Period: until 18 May 2026
• Address: Via Degli Ammirati, 11, 73100 Lecce (LE), Italy
• Notes: the show gathers installations, sculptures and performances born from the Sensorium 2.0 methodology

Visiting the exhibition provides an original perspective on the role of the body in contemporary art, through works conceived to activate memory, ritual and poetic resistance.