Exit Strategy: Naples Cinemas Turn Empty Display Cases into Art Galleries

In Naples, curator and artist Lucas Memmola has transformed the empty display cases of eight cinemas and theaters into temporary exhibition spaces for the project 'Exit Strategy.' The initiative repurposes the vacant vitrines, normally used for movie posters, as windows for contemporary art, accessible 24/7 and free to the public. Participating artists include Memmola himself, Dafne y Selene, Carmela De Falco, Serena Petricelli, Gabriella Siciliano, Collettivo DAMP, Clarissa Baldassarri, Andrea Bolognino, and Mary Baldassarre, all aged under 31. The works range from Memmola's metalinguistic paintings derived from film stills to nostalgic pieces by Dafne y Selene, silent suspensions by De Falco, and evocative voids by Petricelli. QR codes next to the artworks provide additional information. The project aims to combat pandemic-induced apathy and revitalize cultural engagement, using the city itself as a living artwork. Memmola states, 'Art must be in people. There must be strength in it so that even non-experts look and grasp.' The exhibition is described as Covid-free, democratic, and urban art, drawing on the social and anthropological significance of the venues. The project responds to the pandemic by activating urban and social fabrics, echoing earlier concepts like Thierry Geoffroy's Emergency Room or Flip Project Space by Federico Del Vecchio and Ala Roushan, but addressing current global emergencies.