Street Art against the mafia : urban and social regeneration in Naples and Caserta

Conférence du séminaire "Street Art Europe" du 13 avril 2018 organisé par le Nice Street Art Project (NSAP) porté par Edwige Comoy Fusaro, tenu à l'Université Nice Sophia Antipolis.

The attempt to halt the remorseless spread of organised crime in the ltalian South should not just be an issue for the judges, investigating magistrates and forces of order; every citizen should feel that they are an integral part of a wind of change, coming from below, that may have a decisive impact on effecting social change. Starting with this premise, art and culture, adopting an approach of participation and involvement, can play a primary role in processes of renewal. In various areas within the provinces of Naples and Caserta, carefully researched works of street art with the direct involvement of the local population, have provided the means for intervention in decaying and marginal environments where organised crime seemed to be so well entrenched as to be ineradicable. In this context, Street Art shows an excellent expressive force, mainly due to the peculiar characteristic to arrive in never reached spaces, to speak to the suburbs, to the border places, and to the falling buildings; and if the traditional visual arts speak to those who want to listen, Street Art is able to communicate with all audiences and to activate not only cultural, but also social (sense of belonging and historical identity) and economic fdevelopment of a territory) processes. Street art has the power to redefine public space and to break the conspiracy of silence. My paper will present some case studies, analysing their assumptions, methodology and objectives.