“New Work by Nello Petrucci: A Mural Dedicated to Chico Forti”
Nello Petrucci, an artist from Pompeii, recently created a mural entitled “On Time” dedicated to Chico Forti, an Italian citizen who has been detained in the United States for 24 years. The work, located in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), depicts an empty airport waiting room with a man running toward a departing plane, symbolizing the end of Forti’s wait.
The mural, made with the halftone technique on paper, measures 6 meters by 3 and was placed on a wall in via De Gasperi. Petrucci explained that the choice of location is not accidental since the wall separates from the view of the sea, while the shadow of the running man seems to want to cross it towards an infinite horizon, after a long period of waiting.
In recent years, the artist has closely followed the human story of Chico Forti, cementing a friendship with him through frequent messages and telephone contacts. This bond has led Petrucci to raise awareness among Italian public opinion about the story of the entrepreneur detained in Florida.
“On Time” is a continuation of “Attesa,” a previous mural created in Miami in 2021, which depicted a man in prison uniform in the waiting room of an airport with flights to Rome constantly canceled. In addition, in Trento, Forti’s hometown, Petrucci’s marble sculpture “Chico sono io” was placed, symbolically representing the protagonist’s suffering.
The Italian government's signing of the authorization for the transfer of Chico Forti to Italy represents a long-awaited turning point, marking a new chapter in the legal odyssey of the Italian entrepreneur detained in the United States.
Article published on March 4, 2024 - 17pm
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