Nello Petrucci pays homage to Raffaele Viviani. A mural by the Pompeian artist appeared on the wall of the birthplace of the great actor and playwright from Castellammare di Stabia
Raffaele Viviani, sitting on a stool, looks at himself in the mirror of a dressing room, but his image appears different from the real one. On his knee is a mask and many others lie at his feet, perhaps already worn or perhaps not yet.
It is the latest, emblematic, work of street art created by Nello Petrucci, which in recent days appeared in Castellammare di Stabia, at number 14 of Via Viviani, right on the wall of what was the birthplace of one of the greatest protagonists of Italian theatre in the first half of the twentieth century.
Petrucci's tribute to Raffaele Viviani arrived practically in conjunction with the 71st anniversary of the death of the actor and playwright from Castellammare di Stabia, which occurred on March 22, 1950.
In creating the mural, the street artist from Pompeii was inspired by a famous phrase by Viviani: “The fight made me a fighter”.
“Every day,” explains Petrucci, “we face “struggles” in our daily lives, but also to pursue our dreams, our passions and our ideals. And this is probably even more true today, in light of the particular pandemic moment we are going through.”
“But in the end,” he adds, “in the great theater of life, every evening we find ourselves having to deal with ourselves in front of a mirror, like when an actor returns to his dressing room and becomes himself again.”
“It is in that moment that we realize the masks we are forced to wear to remain faithful to our 'character'. How many are there? And how many are too tight for us?” asks Petrucci, who has chosen a highly symbolic place for his artistic performance, namely Viviani's birthplace, in the ancient center of Castellammare di Stabia.
"I hope - says Petrucci - that art can become a vehicle to bring to light the most abandoned places of our cities and perhaps generate a new tourism. Street art, in particular, can be the right tool to bring art closer to people and vice versa, but it can also make us reflect on the need to change and 'revolutionize' patterns of thought and action that are no longer sustainable".
This last goal was certainly achieved by the Viviani allo specchio signed by Petrucci in the old center of Castellammare: the images of the mural have in fact become 'viral' on social media, triggering thousands of shares and, above all, enthusiastic comments from the citizens of Castellammare and beyond.
The performance was also well received by the institutions of Castellammare, which will protect the mural and have expressed their intention to continue along the path traced by Petrucci to enhance the ancient center that gave birth to Viviani.
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Biography
Nello Petrucci (1981) lives and works between Pompeii and New York. Artist and film maker, he has created various independent projects, from short films to video art, receiving numerous awards. First Italian artist to exhibit at the World Trade Center in New York with the permanent work The essence of Lightness together with world street artists such as Rob English, WhlsBe, Rubin 415, Lauren YS, Layercake, Chris Rwk, in the project of the magnate Larry Silverstein, “The masterpiece in the sky”.
An artist sensitive to social issues, he has developed significant works on homophobia and racism. His work Sweet home is considered among the nine most important works in the world during the pandemic.
Environmental activist, famous for his installation Plastic River, a whale full of waste displayed in Italian squares to denounce the excessive use of plastic that threatens the world.
Last fall he permanently installed the open-air sculpture Margine, in Torre Fossa Lo Papa, Punta Campanella. In October 2020 he reinterpreted the border between Pompeii and Scafati as Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.
On the same day as Diego Armando Maradona's passing, he created and installed his own artistic tribute entitled La mano de Dios outside the then “San Paolo” stadium (now named after the Argentine champion).
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