Karl Marx in Carcere a Volterra: A Surreal Multiplied Portrait

On Friday, July 31, 2026, at 6:30 PM, the courtyard of the Volterra prison will host a surreal installation: a Karl Marx figure multiplied by twenty-four. The figures, each with a full beard and gray wig, wear chef uniforms in white, red, gray, and beige, posed in three-quarter view and arranged in three rows at different scales, reminiscent of end-of-year school photos. Initially appearing static, monumental, and slightly moldy, the multiples are expected to come alive, unleashing a joyful and biting energy, both hilarious and irreverent. The 'other times' evoked by this absurd masquerade are unmistakably 'our times', reflecting a continued need to rethink power and class relations, the skewed angles and shadows created by the exploitation of labor, raw materials, and the environment for the profit of a few. What cannot be repeated is what has already happened; what cannot be preserved is... (text cut off). The event is part of a cultural program at the Volterra prison, highlighting the intersection of art, social critique, and institutional spaces.