Photo exhibit explores relationship between Naples and its public spaces

La mostra fotografica "Napoli Senza Titolo" rappresenta una città in evoluzione, che vive tra le sue speranze per un futuro migliore e i timori di un ulteriore degrado. Le immagini raccontano come gli spazi pubblici di Napoli continuano a essere rilevanti e a procurare ai suoi cittadini un senso di appartenenza.

Naples is a city of extremes. Famous for its beauty and creative spirit, it's also associated with environmental degradation and political corruption. Often times, clichés and stereotypes on both ends of this spectrum prevail over a more tempered, multifaceted reality. The Consulate of Italy in Detroit in partnership with Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative present the photo exhibit, Napoli Senza Titolo (Naples Untitled), a photography exhibit made up of 39 photographs by 20 of Italy's most accomplished photographers (including Mimmo Jodice) that aims to explore the ways in which public spaces in Naples have been used over the last 40 years.

Naples Untitled shows the variety of ways in which the city has responded to the challenges it faces, thus offering a narrative of the city that incorporates the many facets of its character and allowing each viewer to enter the cityscape in their own way. The images tell how public spaces in Naples continue to be relevant and provide people with a sense of belonging.

The curators decided to call the exhibit Naples Untitled because it is a city in flux, living between its hopes for a better future and fears of further decline. Through their work, they wish to encourage viewers to look at their city in a fresh way, uninfluenced by predetermined points of view. The photographs themselves have been left untitled in order to leave viewers free to create their own individual narrative and experience the images in a personal way, as curators Fabio Donato, Maria Federica Palestino and Marina Vergiani believe that titles inevitably determine interpretation and limit the communicative power of visions. The photographs are the work of artists Aniello Barone, Antonio Biasiucci, Salvino Campos, Stefano Cardone, Libero de Cunzo, Fabio Donato, Luciano Ferrara, Gianni Fiorito, Guido Giannini, Carlo Hermann, Mimmo Jodice, Oreste Lanzetta, Mario Laporta, Raffaela Mariniello, Pino Miraglia, Oreste Pipolo, Sergio Riccio, Luciano Romano, Mario Spada, Alain Volut and Aldo Capasso.

This traveling exhibit is also intended to be a preview of the International Forum of Cultures, an important UNESCO initiative designed to foster intercultural dialogue and debate, which will be hosted in Naples in 2013.

The project was made possible by the Naples Center for the Documentation of the Arts, which granted curators access to its art archives, and the Center for Contemporary Arts PAN (Palazzo delle Arti Napoli).

Naples Untitled will be inaugurated in Cleveland by Marco Nobili, Consul of Italy in Detroit, on Thursday, May 17, and will remain on display through May 29 at the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative's new location in downtown Cleveland (1309 Euclid Avenue, Suite 200).

"We at the CUDC are very excited to show these photographs of everyday life in a city undergoing continual stress and transformation. They present a valuable opportunity to reflect on our own urban experiences and challenges," commented Steven Rugare of Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

In turn, the Consul of Italy in Detroit thanked CUDC for their valuable cooperation, "Our partnership began in May 2009 with the successful photo exhibition titled Palladio 500 Years and continues this year with Naples Untitled. I would like to thank the CUDC and Kent State University College of Architecture for joining forces with our offices to bring to Cleveland another remarkable exhibit and I certainly look forward to future opportunities for renewed collaboration."

Both the opening reception and admittance into the exhibit are free and open to the general public.

For more information, please contact Serena Scaiola, Honorary Vice Consul of Italy in Cleveland at 216.861.1585 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..