Jumana Manna's Depositions at Naples Roman Aqueduct

The fourth edition of Underneath the Arches, a contemporary art program directed by Chiara Pirozzi and Alessandra Troncone at the Augustan Aqueduct of Serino in Naples' Borgo Vergini – Rione Sanità, features Palestinian visual artist and filmmaker Jumana Manna (Princeton, 1987) with her site-specific installation Depositions, on view until April 30, 2022. The program, organized with the Associazione VerginiSanità, aims to foster dialogue between archaeology and contemporary art, engaging international artists in residencies funded by Fondazione Morra. Previous participants include Arturo Hernández Alcázar (Mexico City, 1978), Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Istanbul, 1984), and Adrian Melis (Havana, 1985). For Depositions, Manna created ceramic sculptures referencing the Middle Eastern and North African tradition of leaving dry bread in public spaces as gifts, juxtaposed with ancient Mediterranean votive offerings. The installation uses blue construction panels inserted into the site's cavities, inspired by hidden building infrastructure. Manna's practice explores power, colonial legacies, and conservation paradoxes through film, sculpture, and text.