Roberto Coda Zabetta's Public Art Project 'Cantieri' in Naples and Portivy

Italian artist Roberto Coda Zabetta (born 1975 in Biella) has extended his practice beyond the studio into large-scale public art projects that merge painting, architecture, and landscape. His 'Cantieri' series began with 'Cantiere 1 / Terrazzo' in Naples, where from September 22 to October 14, 2017, he painted the rooftop terrace of the abandoned 17th-century complex SS. Trinità delle Monache, a former convent and military hospital. The project, promoted by Fondazione Donnaregina, created a new horizon visible from the city's hills, bridging the popular Quartieri Spagnoli and the scenic San Martino hill. The process was documented by photographer and filmmaker Henrik Blomqvist in a 10-month film. On June 2, 2018, 'Cantiere 2 / Harbour' was inaugurated in Portivy, on the Quiberon peninsula in Brittany, France. For this work, Coda Zabetta lived in the area for nearly a month, engaging with the local community. He used a natural pigment made from oyster powder, fish glue, and Airlite, a zero-impact binder, to paint the entire coast around the port, a protected area under the Conservatoire du Littoral. The ephemeral work is intended to be dissolved by time and the sea. A film documenting this project is also planned.