Milano, culture inside the San Vittore prison: ReverseLab is born
A permanent space dedicated to contemporary art that unites inmates and communities.
Milano, culture inside the San Vittore prison: ReverseLab is born.
It was inaugurated on September 24th, in the District Prison of Milano San Vittore “Francesco Di Cataldo”, ReverseLab, a space for contemporary art between prison and city. The project was born from the synergy between prison, Polytechnic of Milano and PAC Pavilion of Contemporary Art, created thanks to the contribution of the Community Foundation Milano, in collaboration with Forme Tentative and Philo – Philosophical Practices.
ReverseLab opened its doors today with the exhibition entitled “Artists are those who make noise. Fragments from the prison of San Vittore”, with the site-specific work that the artist Maurice Pefura created during a workshop, held between March and June, which involved inmates and prison police officers.
This collaboration has given life to a single collective artwork that assembles thousands of expressive fragments positioned on paper tiles and other materials, which occupy all the walls of a long prison gallery and, in this way, convert the closed space into a new urban landscape.
The exhibition and the entire process that led to its creation were curated by Diego Sileo, curator of the PAC Contemporary Art Pavilion of Milano who will also curate future exhibitions, scheduled on an annual basis, "so that art can also become a vehicle for social redemption".
The exhibition aims to be an opportunity for comparison and contact between the prison world and the outside world, to encourage the reconstruction of the complex relationship between San Vittore and the citizens of Milano.
“The inauguration of ReverseLab – declared the Councillor for Culture Tommaso Sacchi – represents a new stage in the journey that Milano is tracing to put art and culture at the service of the community, breaking down in this case the physical and symbolic barriers between the city and the prison.
PAC, with its constant commitment to civil and social rights, is a crucial partner in this project, demonstrating how contemporary art can become a tool for inclusion, capable of transforming places of isolation into spaces for dialogue.
With projects like this, born from the collaboration between academic, cultural and social institutions, we are committed to giving voice to the most fragile realities and to creating new opportunities for growth for the entire Milanese community".
Open to the public two days a week (Saturday and Monday in two shifts 14-15pm and 15-16pm), the exhibition can be visited until 28 October 2024 upon reservation. Registration by clicking here.
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