Sergio Fermariello's 'Hear' Exhibition at Fondazione Made in Cloister in Naples

Sergio Fermariello (born 1961, Naples) presents the site-specific exhibition '(H)ear' at Fondazione Made in Cloister, founded by Davide De Blasio, in the 16th-century cloister of Santa Caterina a Formiello, where the ancient Sebeto river once flowed. The show takes inspiration from Vincent van Gogh. Fermariello's signature warrior figure, symbolizing struggle against adversity, appears on seven canvas-on-wood panels in colors from blue to orange, evoking prehistoric ice to global warming. The installation includes a 4-meter square field of 6,000 brass stalks topped with small ears, referencing van Gogh's wheat fields and the title's double meaning in English: 'ear' and 'hear'. Along the cloister walls, black-and-white paintings and perforated canvases depict thousands of warriors with shields and spears, inviting reflection on planetary crises. Fermariello, winner of the 1989 Saatchi & Saatchi Prize for Young Artists and debuted at Lucio Amelio's gallery, describes the warrior as 'a subject armed with his own mask' and links van Gogh's ear-cutting to a Eucharistic act, reading 'Vincent' as 'Vino santo'. He sees the wheat field as a metaphor for time's vibrations and hope after the pandemic. The exhibition was produced quickly with private funding, using laser cutting. Fermariello calls himself 'controtempo-raneo' (counter-contemporary), emphasizing the need to recover time for observation and listening to nature. The show runs at Fondazione Made in Cloister in Naples.