In the beating heart of the historic center of Naples, among suggestive alleys that bring back stories stratified over time, an initiative was born that mixes art, urban regeneration and community: the first edition of the Rua Viva Award.
The setting for this event is the Sun Room, a creative and multifunctional space on Rua Catalana, which has long hosted artistic and theatrical experimentation. Here, on Friday, May 30th, the exhibition of the Prize finalists officially opens. The exhibition, directed by artist Federico Adriano Borreca, coordinated a jury of experts, poets, journalists, filmmakers, and teachers, features seven works selected to convey new visions, intersections, and perspectives on the relationship between art and the city.
Among the most exciting moments of the opening night will be the return to the city of “Duel”, the iconic work of Felix Policastro, installed in 2002 on Rua Catalana, is part of the neighborhood's visual identity. After careful restoration, it will once again be visible in all its expressive power: a powerful gesture of care and regeneration that speaks volumes about the profound meaning of this project.
On display until June 14th there will be the works of Mina Di Nardo, Giovanni Di Rosa, Angelo Giordano, Alessandra Maisto, Paola Aloisio Mazzarelli, and Luciano Perna And Anna Maria Saviano, while five other artists (Cristina Buonaiuto, Vincenzo Cino, Vito Polito, Enrico Ristori and Diana De Stefano) will be present in the official catalogue.
During the inauguration there will also be a buffet signed by the chef Francesco Frascione and the presentation of a perfume created specifically for the award from the master perfumer Rosa Vaia. Small, big gestures that transform the event into a complete sensory experience.
The Rua Viva Prize is not just an artistic award. It's a new way of inhabiting the city, of questioning it, of loving it and restoring its beauty. In a neighborhood marked by the presence of installations by Richard Dalisi, this initiative seems to ideally take up his baton: transforming art into a daily act of resistance, beauty and participation.
The initiative, sponsored by the Campania Region, the Municipality of Naples, Arci Campania and Antinoo Arcigay Naples, is made possible thanks to the historic Taverna Est ETS Cultural Association.
