Sonia Leimer's Little Italy Project at MAN Nuoro

Sonia Leimer (Merano, 1977) presents 'Via San Gennaro' at MAN Nuoro, winner of the fourth Italian Council (2018). The project, developed during a residency in New York, anthropologically explores Italian memories and histories in Manhattan's Little Italy. The exhibition features sculptural installations, drawings, signs, and overlapping sunshades from Italian and Chinese shops. On the floor, seven cylindrical objects made of industrial paper rolls (over 200 kg each) evoke those from Chinese print shops, with black-and-white photographic images of Little Italy silkscreened on their sides. A twelve-minute video-documentary 'Via San Gennaro' (2019) focuses on the Sicilian marionette tradition, starring a puppet from Orlando Furioso donated by the Manteo family to Tony De Nonno, recounting the Manteo Theater's history and the neighborhood's transformation. Leimer highlights the socio-cultural phenomenon of Little Italy's urban settlement, its changes over a century, and the loss of Italian memory. The Feast of San Gennaro, first held in 1926, now spans eleven days in mid-September on Mulberry Street, featuring processions, games, and food vendors. MAN aims to strengthen its role as a commissioner for young contemporary artists and investigate Mediterranean cultural exchanges. Leimer's research addresses urban transformation, planning, and public space occupation.