Made in Cloister is a project born with the aim of reconverting an abandoned cloister and use it as an exhibition and performative arts center in constant dialogue with the neighborhood.

The history of the place and its location have defined the re-conversion project. The idea is to recover a part of the cultural heritage of the City of Naples and revive its traditional craftsmanship, renewing it with a contemporary zest through the realization of projects by international artists and designers. This also means involving the territory and the community, where this project takes place, with the aim of triggering a meaningful process of urban regeneration through art.

We operate in an area of the so-called “urban outskirts”. Our mission is to explore the potential role of art in the regeneration of cities, starting from the strong belief that art can be an engine and a catalyst in the development and well-being of suburban areas.

The lock-down imposed by the pandemic blocked the ‘typical’ programming and activities of the Foundation. Nevertheless, we did not stop but, rather, we concentrated our efforts at programming the “Refettorio Made in Cloister“, a soup-kitchen, and one of the activities in support of the neighboring area.
Every Monday, the Foundation receives food surplus from supermarkets, and it invites famous chefs to cook meals for those most in need.
It was during the lockdown that the number of destitute people increased. For this reason, the Foundation stepped up the activity of the canteen to cook and distribute meals twice and even three times a week.

We therefore focused on supporting and listening to our nearest community. This was an important move, as it took us closer to the people living in the neighborhood, who in turn changed their views towards the Foundation. Today, they feel that it is an organization closer to their needs rather than something distant.

This unprecedented situation forced us to pause and reflect, and it obviously affected our cultural and artistic activities. But it was from this experience and from the lockdown that the new Sergio Fermariello‘s exhibition project came from. It is a site-specific installation, scheduled for this autumn, of which the central theme is ‘listening’.
The title of the exhibition is precisely (H)EAR: listening to oneself, to other people’s needs, and to the messages of our land, as this is what the lockdown has left us.