By Sophie Hazan Consumer Reporter
What a sparkling send off for an Italian Mamma. Brothers Gip and John Dammone have launched their Prosecco bar and gallery in memory of their mother Nunzia.
Enoteca Nunzia has taken pride of place at well known eatery Salvo’s in Headingley, which is jointly run by the brothers.
The gallery space was launched to give emerging artists a chance to display their art for 12 months at a time. It was also a chance to celebrate the family’s love of wine, food, art and music and of course their beloved mum.
Salvo’s was opened in 1976 by the brothers father Salvatore Dammone. “We already had the other ingredients,” said Gip, 52. “The food is like our mum used to serve up, the wine comes from the hills round where we had our family home in Italy, the music includes vinyl we once listened to on juke boxes at the cafés Dad had here in Leeds when we were kids. “The missing element was always the art.” A 1970’s white Vespa scooter has been mounted above the bar as a tribute to the one Nunzia would ride every time she went back to Salerno in southern Italy. Nunzia passed away in 1987 after losing a battle with breast cancer aged just 57.
The first artist in residence to display at Salvo’s is Lori Rebequ, a Goldsmiths College Fine Art Graduate from Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Lori gave up her job as a special needs assistant teacher 18 months ago to refocus on her art. Her Hidden Visions exhibition is a collection of 25 original oil paintings inspired by the bond between the Aboriginal people of Australia and nature. Lori pours paint onto a canvas, which she then rotates to create her unique style. In 1991 har graduation show, which she used to debut her work, was a sell-out.
The Dammones will donate 10 percent of sales from the exhibition to Wheatfields Hospice. Lori has pledged to donate a further 10 percent to ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) and ACAS (the Aboriginal Children’s Advancement Society).
Hidden Visions is available to view every evening from Monday through Saturday and during the day by appointment. A series of art evenings are currently being planned, and some artwork from the show will also be on display at the neighbouring Salvo’s Salumeria restaurant.
Salvo’s 115 can be found at 115 Otley Road, Leeds, LS6 3PX. For more information please call (0113) 275 5017 or visit www.salvos.co.uk
|
