The Poetics and Politics of Public Space in Naples
摘要
This chapter examines the transformative role of public art in Naples as a catalyst for civic engagement, cultural memory, and urban regeneration. Focusing on installations in subway stations and Piazza del Plebiscito, it explores how artistic interventions reshape urban space and foster symbolic competencies that support democratic participation. Drawing on historical, ethnographic, and cinematic sources—including Domenico Ciruzzi’s Angeli and works by Rebecca Horn and Michelangelo Pistoletto—the chapter argues that public art functions as civic infrastructure, reclaiming space for dialogue and dissent. It introduces the concept of artistic citizenship and engages with theories of spatial justice and fractal urbanism to analyze how Naples’s layered morphology sustains collective identity. Ultimately, the chapter positions Naples as a model for inclusive cultural policy and participatory urban futures.