MANN Napoli opens its deposits with Sing Sing exhibition at Villa dei Papiri

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) is opening its storerooms to the public, following the model of the Boijmans Depot in Rotterdam. For the first time, until June 30, many of the 30,000 artifacts stored in the museum's attic will be displayed at the Villa dei Papiri in the photographic exhibition 'Sing Sing. Il corpo di Pompei' by Luigi Spina. The attic was nicknamed 'Sing Sing' in the 1970s by director Giuseppe Maggi for its resemblance to the famous American prison. Director Paolo Giulierini explains that the museum holds 270,000 artifacts, described as 'unmatched in Italy for quantity and quality,' and that 75% of archaeological loans from the Italian Ministry of Culture come from MANN. The exhibition features 46 black-and-white 50x60cm photographs that reconstruct daily life in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the eruption of 79 AD. Spina's technique is a photographic version of 'anastylosis,' arranging objects on tables to reproduce their everyday function. The museum aims to organize physical visits to the deposits and launch a digital platform by mid-2022. The exhibition is accompanied by a volume published by 5 Continents Edition with texts by Giulierini, João Vilela Gerardo, Davide Vargas, and Spina.