Kinkaleri's Public Art Installation W Disappears from Bologna's Piazza Maggiore

The artistic collective Kinkaleri is demanding answers after one of their five public art installations, part of the series W, vanished from the entrance of the underpass at Piazza Re Enzo/Piazza Maggiore in Bologna. The work, commissioned by the cultural organization Xing between 2007 and 2019, was removed in February 2022 without agreement or explanation, coinciding with the opening of the exhibition "Pier Paolo Pasolini. Folgorazioni Figurative." Kinkaleri, based in Prato, considers the removal a violation of the pact that had integrated W into the city's social and urban fabric for five years as a common good. The collective notes that the work is registered as "public art" by the Italian Ministry of Culture and is a key component of other audio and video works by artists Christian Chironi and Massimo Carozzi. They accuse the responsible party of lacking civic sense and abusing power. Despite support from Xing and the director of MAMbo for reinstallation, delays persist. Kinkaleri plans to continue the W installations between January and April 2023, expanding the "Wetropolitana" imaginary line, and demands the immediate return of the missing piece to its original location.