From September 17 to November 30 in Naples, a distributed exhibition that transforms the pain of the Mediterranean into music and art.
Naples is the setting for a collaborative project that weaves together contemporary art, the memory of the Mediterranean, and social redemption. The idea takes shape as a distributed exhibition, creating a route that winds through some of the city’s most iconic sites.
The initiative stems from a project by the Fondazione Casa dello Spirito e delle Arti, in collaboration with the Fondazione San Gennaro. At the heart of the initiative lies the concept of transformation: the wood from boats loaded with migrants that were recovered off the coast of Lampedusa is entrusted to the stringed-instrument workshops at the Milano Opera and Napoli Secondigliano correctional facilities. There, inmates transform the remnants of tragic journeys into musical instruments, giving rise to a process of rebirth that transforms incarceration into inner freedom.
This initiative stems from a desire to reinterpret the millennia-old history of the Mediterranean not only as a place of transit, but as a space for vibrant dialogue between contemporary art, historical and artistic heritage, and the spiritual memory of the region. By involving internationally renowned artists and local institutions, the exhibition aims to serve as a tangible symbol of how culture can be a beacon of hope and a catalyst for opportunity.
The vision: a dialogue between history and hope
The entire exhibition invites visitors to explore how historical heritage can engage with contemporary art to address issues relevant to the present. Metamorfosi– What remains becomes music offers a reflection on the power of art to breathe new life into places, materials, and people, transforming memory into a shared experience open to the future.
At the heart of the entire project lies the Donnaregina Monumental Complex, consisting of the two churches of Donnaregina Vecchia and Donnaregina Nuova. Its reopening restores to the city a site of extraordinary historical and artistic value, restoring the complex’s unity and ushering in a new era of cultural revitalization.
The value of this initiative lies in its collective nature. The initiative, scheduled from September 17 to November 30, 2026, is carried out as part of Project XXI of the Donnaregina Foundation for Contemporary Arts, in collaboration with the Fondazione Napoli C’entro ETS, within the framework of the “MUSEO MADRE” project — part of the Campania Region’s FSC 2021–2027 Program. This network, enriched by the contributions of numerous local artists and institutions, exemplifies the creation of a model of alliance between faith, art, and society, capable of fostering a shared sense of responsibility toward the human challenges of our time.
The exhibition itinerary: the stages of Metamorfosi
The route unfolds as a city-wide exhibition that touches on the city’s key landmarks:
- Donnaregina Nuova: In the churchyard, visitors are greeted by “Sheltering,” the extraordinary life-size bronze sculpture created by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz. The sculpture, donated to the Archdiocese of Naples by Father Tomaž Mavrič, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and President of the Executive Committee of the Vincentian Family, conveys a powerful message of solidarity and spirituality and immortalizes the care and welcome extended to the least and the poorest. The monumental staircase itself is adorned with OBEY’s famous symbols of peace, transforming the ascent into a conceptual and evocative journey.
- Donnaregina Vecchia: It hosts a photography exhibition by Barbara Cardini and Leandro Ianniello, documenting the journey of wood from the sea to the prison workshops. In addition, the church houses one of the symbolic focal points of the entire itinerary: Jannis Kounellis’s transformed violin, a work enclosed in a case bound with barbed wire, a powerful metaphor for the tension between confinement and freedom.
- Basilica of Santa Restituta: Emanuele Scuotto’s sculptures dedicated to the souls in purgatory interact with Luca Giordano’s painting, offering a new interpretation of Saint Restituta’s exile as an allegory of suffering and rebirth in the Mediterranean. The figures sculpted by the artist depict souls immersed in water rather than fire, transforming our sea into a symbolic contemporary purgatory.
- San Giovanni a Carbonara – Renaissance Cloister: One of the rooms in the complex houses a section dedicated to the Masters of the Twentieth Century (De Chirico, Levi, Guttuso, Matisse, and others) from the collection of lithographs and silkscreen prints in the Isabella Meoni Ferrara Collection of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy—St. Thomas Section. In the cloister, the large mural created by artists Mono Gonzalez and Tono Cruz draws on the visual language of 20th-century graphic art and transforms one side of the complex into a monumental pictorial surface.
- Sant’Aniello in Caponapoli: home to Jago’s “Integrazione,” a work that demonstrates the potential for transformation by incorporating the marks of vandalism. The sculpture, restored in such a way that the fracture in the marble remains visible, engages in a dialogue with the high altar created by Girolamo Santacroce and with the very history of the building itself, which has been deeply marked by earthquakes, collapses, bombings, and looting.
- Santa Maria Maddalena ai Cristallini (Blue Church): it reveals itself as a work of art entirely painted in over twenty shades of blue. The site-specific murals by artists Mono González, Tono Cruz, and Giuliana Conte depict the faces of the neighborhood’s residents, weaving the community’s memory into the sacred space. At the center stands the permanent liturgical furnishings (high altar, pews, and holy water font), created through a collaboration between the carpentry workshops at the Secondigliano correctional facility and the applied research of the DIARC laboratory.
Special events
The dynamism of this initiative is reflected in a packed schedule of accompanying cultural events that explore its main themes in greater depth.
A particularly memorable moment is scheduled for October 5–10, when the church of Donnaregina Nuova will host SàFF 2026 (Sanità Film Festival – Film and Third Sector Festival), expanding the narrative through stories of social commitment and hospitality.
The entire exhibition experience will also be accompanied by a sensory journey: the Donnaregina Vecchia space will become a venue for musical performances dedicated entirely to Neapolitan songs, featuring live performances on instruments crafted from boat wood.
This event is not just a temporary exhibition, but the inaugural act of a permanent transformation:
- Youth cultural hub: Starting next year, the entire complex will evolve into a permanent center entirely dedicated to young people.
- Home of MUDD’s Museum of the Twentieth Century and Contemporary Art: the monumental spaces of Donnaregina Nuova will become the museum’s official home, creating a permanent artistic hub where sacred memory engages in dialogue with the languages of the contemporary world.
