Maurizio Nazzaretto's Claustrophobic Urban Visions at Palazzo Ducale

Maurizio Nazzaretto's exhibition 'L'ultimo spenga la luce' at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa features eighteen installations spread across the Sala del Maggior Consiglio, contrasting 18th-century decorations and crystal chandeliers with construction tubing used to frame the works. The artist, born in Genoa in 1950, explores urban claustrophobia through recurring motifs like a 'urban map' in his early bas-reliefs. His work depicts an hostile environment with no escape—not through religion, love, or wealth—where only small insects (flies, locusts) symbolize consumption, and a malnourished child wearing sneakers appears. The exhibition, curated by Sandra Solimano, runs until August 28, 2016, at Palazzo Ducale, Piazza Matteotti 9. The show evokes Arte Povera echoes and ends with the visitor extinguishing all lights.