A game of scopa with Giotto Calendoli

«I see you worn out / Did you eat?» The new project by MUTE, the Museum of Gastronomic Tradition, and Giotto Calendoli tells the story of Naples like we've never seen it before, starting from a cornerstone of the city's history: food. In collaboration with J’Adore Napoli, nss's initiative to support and promote Neapolitan culture, the artist unveiled the exhibition Manodopera within the spaces of MUTE in an evening dedicated to Neapolitan culture. At the opening dinner organized by J’Adore Napoli, the playing cards and jerseys designed by Calendoli in collaboration with nss entertained guests in a spirited game of scopa, while the artist shared more details about Manodopera. For Calendoli, the dinner perfectly embodied the celebration of Neapolitan identity, as caring for people is one of the values Naples teaches you. «A mental Sunday, sharing through simple gestures - like a plate of pasta and potatoes - one's love in taking care of people, making them feel at home even away from home,» Calendoli explained. «A true Neapolitan gift in celebrating every day as if it were a feast or a Sunday.»

Manodopera combines art and food, immortalizing Naples through the thread of the construction site, a work in progress aimed at provoking the viewer and sparking debates. Calendoli utilized the spaces of MUTE, turning them into a set table decorated with everything reminiscent of Naples and its infinite love for food. «I simply wanted to tell my roots,» the artist explained. «Manodopera in using creativity through hands that get dirty. From painting to cooking, telling an art that can be both seen with the eyes and tasted with the mouth. The perfect combination! MUTE focuses on the quality of culinary culture and enhances Campanian excellence, which is why I chose to be accompanied by Pepe in Grani for the launch event.» The culinary traditions of the Neapolitans have always been a sensitive topic that, if questioned, could lead to lively discussions. Addressing this aspect in the exhibition was a challenge for Calendoli, who decided to confront a stereotype for this reason. «I wanted to break this sensitivity, more than the dish, it must be the harmony of the journey that makes you sit at the table with full eyes and an empty stomach, ready to be satisfied.»

Installations, artwork, illustrations, merchandise, and dishes color the walls and rooms of MUTE, transforming the exhibition into a long lunch, a typical moment of unity on Sundays for the "children of Vesuvius." The idea of manual labor is combined with this metaphor through the concept of reinvention. «Naples, besides being an open-air theater, is also an open-air construction site for me,» Calendoli explained. «Chaos, manual work, reinventing oneself trying to be more and more. Problem solver: that's the concept I started with. Don't lose sight of the role of the worker (now endangered) because it's too hard, not considering that without them, creativity and the soul of places like in this case are not built.» Free to visit until December 24th, the MUTE exhibition, with Calendoli's support and Tramandars, uses chaos and disorder to evoke the contrasting emotions of a family dinner, an exhibition divided into different levels that includes a real dining table set with ceramics created by Calendoli and the merchandising of nss and Handle With Freedom. During the opening dinner, the playing cards designed by Calendoli in collaboration with nss colored the tables of the diners. A collaboration born from the deep love they both have for the city of Naples and its traditions, the deck tells «even more the Neapolitan soul through illustrations that shout episodes, religions, cults, and characters that make Naples the most fascinating city in the world.» But how does Giotto Calendoli fare at scopa? According to him, «I'm an ace!»