“Simone Isaia, the homeless man accused of setting fire to the Venere degli ragcci installation in Piazza Municipio in Naples, needs treatment rather than jail. The institutions take care of Simone‘, with those words, Don Franco Esposito, head of the Church of Naples Prisons Ministry’s Liberi di Volare reception center, agreed to take in the 32-year-old responsible for the Naples fire to pursue his rehabilitation. The appeal was followed by a release request from Isaia’s attorney, Gabriella Di Nardo, as reported by the Southern Courier. And the Biella artist now joins the chorus of voices urging authorities to grant the boy his freedom and speed up his recovery Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Michelangelo Pistoletto’s appeal for the release of Simone Isaia
In an interview with Floriana Rullo on course of the eveningPistoltto supports the release of the 32-year-old, who is accused of arson and destruction of cultural property, stressing that “It is necessary to abolish the punishment of prison and heal the one who set fire to my work. Because treating him means treating society. Moreover, our society is a ragged and ragged society, just like my Venus“. A rehabilitation that reflects a collective recovery because “The problem of our society is made clear by the gesture towards my work, which is thereby humanized. This person is not only sick, but also shows it social sickness that we live with. Governments fight to enable people to survive. And culture that comes from art can support this change‘ the artist continues. This is how the “Venus in Flames” becomes one symbol: Pistoletto does not justify the gesture, but he understands it as an expression of a strong uneasiness, to which “Art can bring relief”.
Michelangelo Pistoletto’s new Ragged Venus in Naples
The gloss of the interview is reserved for the hope of creating a new one Venus of Rags in Naples, hoping that it will not provoke violent gestures but lead to dialogue. A wish that could come true thanks to the crowdfunding announced on July 15 by the Mayor of Naples. Gaetano Manfredito restore the gigantic installation in Piazza Municipio. The initiative was launched with the goal of raising 200,000 euros for the new work (compared to the large sum already spent on the construction of the “first” Venus), a figure that has met with skepticism from the more inclined Neapolitan citizens Ask for funds to be invested in as many cultural assets as possible or in the urban planning of Naples.
Valentina Muzi