What is that?
Underneath the Arches is a program for contemporary art that takes place at an archeological site holding the remains of an aqueduct from the Augustan age, in the area of Borgo Vergini-Sanità in Naples.
What it does?
Under the artistic direction of Chiara Pirozzi and Alessandra Troncone, and in collaboration with Associazione VerginiSanità, Underneath the Arches aims to activate a dialogue between archeology and contemporary art, and to establish a relationship between the local material and immaterial culture and the artistic research of international artists. Its main objective is to promote both existing cultural heritage and new production in contemporary art.
How?
In the fascinating space of the ancient Roman aqueduct, discovered in 2011 and located underneath an historical building called Palazzo Peschici Maresca, international artists selected for their inclination and talent in engaging with meaningful spaces are invited to create temporary and site-specific installations in dialogue with the space itself and the surrounding area. The main topics will be water and its flow, the presence of historical layers and multifaceted narratives, the shapes and materials that characterize the place, as well as the latest development of the site and its relationship with the neighborhood. Artists of different nationalities will be invited to work on site and produce new works, spending a residency period in the city of Naples and getting in touch with its history and inspiring peculiarities.
Each exhibition will be accompanied by a program of activities that includes guided tours of the site, workshops and public events, aimed at engaging with a wide and diverse audience.
Underneath the Arches is made possible by the patronage and support of renowned institutions, such as the Madre Museum (thanks to the “Matronato”, an advocacy program that recognises, evaluates and disseminates an awareness of projects deserving of consideration due to their value and cultural or artistic quality, awarded by Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti Contemporanee), the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, Fondazione Morra, Fondazione Salvatore, and with the collaboration of foreign Embassies and Cultural Institutes.
The first exhibition opened on March 24, 2018 with the artist Arturo Hernández Alcázar (Mexico City, 1978; lives and works in Mexico City). The second exhibition opened on the 1st of December, 2018 with the artist Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Istanbul, 1984; lives and works in Istanbul). The third exhibition opened on the 26th of September, 2020 with the artist Adrian Melis (La Havana, 1985). The fourth exhibition opened on the 5th of March 2022, with the artist Jumana Manna (Princeton, 1987; lives and works in Berlin).
To access all the exhibitions realized for Underneath the Arches, please visit our archive.