The Donnaregina Complex in Naples has reopened its doors to the city with a new cultural initiative that brings together heritage, art and social commitment. The opening of Metamorfosi – Ciò che resta diventa musica, a project of the Fondazione Casa dello Spirito e delle Arti, marks the beginning of a new chapter for this historic site, which is once again opening itself up to new audiences and forms of artistic expression.
One of the works welcoming visitors is Sheltering, a sculpture by artist Timothy Schmalz depicting a homeless person sheltered under a blanket held by a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The work, blessed by Pope Francis in 2022, was donated to the Archdiocese of Naples by Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and President of the Executive Committee of the Vincentian Family.
The sculpture introduces one of the messages running throughout the exhibition: the need to recognise and protect the dignity of every person, especially those experiencing situations of vulnerability.
From Donnaregina Nuova, the exhibition continues into the Church of Donnaregina Vecchia. Here, photographs by Barbara Cardini and Leandro Ianniello tell the story of wood recovered from boats that arrived in Lampedusa. After the boats are dismantled, the wood is transferred to the lutherie workshop at Secondigliano Prison.
There, inmates work with these materials and transform them into guitars and mandolins. What was once associated with stories of migration and suffering is given new life through work and creativity. The project turns craftsmanship into an opportunity for training, dignity and reintegration.
The photographs are presented alongside Il Violino by Jannis Kounellis, a violin enclosed in a box crossed by barbed wire. The work evokes the tension between freedom and imprisonment and creates a dialogue with the stories of the people involved in the Secondigliano project.
Music also played a central role in the opening. The Orchestra Tornaccantà performed at Donnaregina Vecchia using instruments made in the workshops of Secondigliano Prison, giving a voice to this story of transformation.
Metamorfosi extends beyond Donnaregina, offering a journey through different locations across the city. In the Cathedral, Emanuele Scuotto’s Anime del Purgatorio enters into dialogue with the work of Luca Giordano. At Sant’Aniello a Caponapoli, Jago’s Integrazione meets the main altar by Girolamo Santacroce.
In the Rione Sanità, various artistic interventions are integrated with an altar created at Secondigliano Prison from the wood of a boat that arrived in Lampedusa. At San Giovanni a Carbonara, the Renaissance Cloister also hosts a selection of works by 20th-century artists and a large mural by Mono González and Tono Cruz, in a space dedicated especially to young people.
The exhibition will be open until 30 November 2026. It is part of Progetto XXI of the Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee, in collaboration with Fondazione Napoli C’entro ETS and as part of the FSC 2021–2027 programme of the Campania Region.
The reopening of Donnaregina also marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Complex. The aim is to progressively develop it into a cultural space open to the city and, from 2027 onwards, into a centre particularly dedicated to young people, with new initiatives related to art, education and culture.
For the Congregation of the Mission, the presence of Sheltering within this journey has a particular significance. The image of a person finding shelter under a blanket reminds us that welcoming others, caring for them and defending human dignity remain an essential calling in the face of poverty, migration and exclusion.
At Donnaregina, art thus becomes a space for encounter and reflection: wood marked by a journey is transformed into a musical instrument; a person deprived of freedom finds in work an opportunity to rebuild their future; and a historic site once again opens its doors to the city. It is a story of transformation that brings together heritage, mission and commitment to people experiencing vulnerability.
The churches of Donnaregina Nuova and Donnaregina Vecchia can be visited free of charge from Monday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visits can be booked through the official MUDD website.
