Oliviero Rainaldi's 'Le otto opere di misericordia' confronts Caravaggio in Naples

Oliviero Rainaldi (born 1956 in Pescara) presents his installation 'Le otto opere di misericordia' at the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples until the end of September. The work consists of eight 9-meter-tall columns resembling candles, arranged in a circle around Caravaggio's 'Le Sette Opere di Misericordia' (1606-07), which dominates the church. Rainaldi's installation explicitly engages with Caravaggio's masterpiece, adding an eighth work of mercy: mercy towards oneself. The piece references the Counter-Reformation context of Caravaggio's commission, particularly the influence of Cardinal Carafa. Curated by Maria Savarese, the project involves collaboration between Rainaldi, the Pio Monte di Misericordia, Genus Bononiae, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Shanghai (MoCA), Venice International University, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (Michigan, USA), and the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Cassino. The columns, with sinuous, flexible forms in pure milky white, frame Caravaggio's painting through their slender shafts. Rainaldi interprets the chiaroscuro of the torch in Caravaggio's work as a metaphorical light of mercy, representing the subjects as torches with vague human features, balancing on long poles. The seven known works of mercy are depicted with hieratic faces facing forward, while the eighth virtue, self-love, has its head slightly turned, suggesting a transversal gaze seeking new ways of being.