Cosimo Veneziano's 'Quarto fuoco' explores ceramic industry ruins in Civita Castellana

Artist Cosimo Veneziano's project 'Quarto fuoco' (Fourth Fire) investigates the collapse of the ceramic industry in Civita Castellana, Italy. The work, realized in 2016, draws on the metaphor of a non-existent fourth firing in ceramics that produces ruin and collapse, mirroring the economic and social crisis that has devastated local production. Veneziano engaged with artisans, workers, and students, creating an installation that juxtaposes traditional ceramic decoration with contemporary ruins of factories. The project was supported by the Regione Lazio and the Municipality of Civita Castellana as part of the Officina Culturale Distretto Creativo, curated by Cantieri d'Arte and Associazione Culturale Percorsi, in collaboration with Laboratorio Urbano Quotidiano, Museo della Ceramica Marcantoni, SIAT Servizi, and factories Artceram and Flaminia. It is part of the La Ville Ouverte public art program and the BJCEM network. The installation features a long ceramic telescope that projects the gaze onto the present, using the chimneys of the former Marcantoni factory as backdrop.