A symbol of resistance, hope and rebirth. This is the powerful message conveyed by the new Venus of Rags, the famous work by Michelangelo Pistolettoreinstalled and inaugurated today in Piazza Municipio in Naples.
After the fire that hit the first installation, the artist expressed his desire to rebuild the work and the mayor to support its reinstallation. Michelangelo Pistoletto’s desire to donate the work – administrative activities are underway to acquire it for the institution’s assets – confirms the profound bond with the city and reiterates the artist’s desire to promote art as an educational tool, driving force for social transformation, especially in fragile contexts.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the mayor of the Municipality of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, the mayor’s advisor and curator of Napoli Contemporanea, Vincenzo Trione and the vice-president of Altra Napoli EF, Antonio Roberto Lucidi.
To confirm the link between the work and the community, after the fire, Altra Napoli launched a crowdfunding campaign –Let’s rebuild it!– which the Municipality welcomed and which received the support of many citizens.
However, after the artist’s decision, the funds obtained from the crowdfunding campaign were allocated to two associations with social purposes present in the area: the “La Scintilla” association, which works for the protection, accompaniment, socialization and the serene autonomy of people suffering from intellectual disabilities and the “Lazzarelle” Social Cooperative, committed to the recovery, through the reintegration into qualified work projects, of women afflicted by the detention regime who want to be active protagonists of their change.
The city of Naples has shown that it is capable of recovering and looking forward. The new Venus strengthens Naples’ contemporary vocation and is part of a broader program that aims to be an example of how contemporary art is decisive in cities, finding original forms of urban regeneration capable of involving the entire community .
The work will be exhibited in Piazza Municipio for three months, at the end of which it will find its definitive location. Technical checks are currently underway in the Church of S. Pietro ad Aram, a place of great historical value on the outskirts of Naples which could find further valorisation through this opening to the contemporary.
Il mayor Gaetano Manfredi: “We strongly wanted to relocate the Venus of Rags in Piazza Municipio to reiterate the fundamental principle of free, public art as an instrument of beauty and inclusion. The work had triggered a debate in public opinion, especially among young generations sensitive to environmental protection and it was right to resume that path. I thank Maestro Pistoletto for the noble choice of donating the Venus to the city, the Other Naples for the fundraising aimed at concrete support for the most vulnerable people, as well as Archbishop Battaglia for his willingness to permanently host the work upon completion of placement in the square. All essential components for a Naples that opens up to the outside, combining the strength of art with the duty of social inclusion.”
Il councilor Vincenzo Trione: “The Venus of rags rises again. Apparently identical: in the image, in the measurements, in the weight, in the composition, in the materials used. The new Venus, however, is supported by the wreck that survived the fire on 12 July, which has undergone careful restoration and restoration work. Like a phoenix risen from its ashes. It is no longer “just” a work of art, the Venus installed in Piazza Municipio. It’s a symbol. Of resistance. Of rebirth. Of stubborn hope.”
L’artist Michelangelo Pistoletto: “I am happy that the reconstruction of the Venus of Rags in Piazza Municipio brings care, benefit and salvation to many people who need it. May the rags of the Venus be transformed into the money necessary to carry out the recovery, regeneration and reintegration initiatives undertaken.”
Il vice president of Altra Napoli EF, Antonio Roberto Lucidi: “The Venus of rags returns to Naples. To relaunch an artistic message that is also of social rebirth. Maestro Pistoletto, who generously and selflessly donated his work to the city, asked that the fundraising promoted by the Other Naples be donated to projects of social interest. Two organizations were thus chosen, among the many possible and deserving ones, namely the “Le Lazzarelle” Cooperative and the “La Scintilla” Association, to which the entire amount collected would be donated. They are projects that put support for disability and inclusion at the center of their action. Furthermore, for them, in agreement with Maestro Pistoletto, a path has been undertaken for which a significant financial intervention has been requested from a large philanthropic foundation to support their initiatives, and currently, the investigation is well underway point and we are confident in its outcome.”