Naples, Gregor Schneider's exhibition at the Morra Greco Foundation: art, memory and construction

The Fondazione Morra Greco in Naples has opened a new chapter in its dialogue with contemporary art through Bauen und Töten (“Building and Destroying”), an exhibition dedicated to one of the most significant contemporary German artists, Gregor Schneider (Rheydt, 1969). The exhibition, which opened on Dec. 19, 2024, and can be visited until Feb. 22, 2025, at Palazzo Caracciolo in Avellino, the Foundation’s headquarters in the historic center of Naples, is a significant event not only for the artist’s career but also for the institution itself, which is thus initiating an important phase of reflection on its own cultural role.

The exhibition, whose title echoes the act of creating and demolishing that underlies Schneider’s poetics, offers a journey through his career, from his early performance and photographic works to his most recent works. Among the exhibition’s central themes is the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork) represented by Rheydt’s legendary Haus u r, a project begun in 1985 and still ongoing. This space, which the artist has transformed into a continuous laboratory of ideas, reflects his interest in the boundary between representation and reality, personal and collective memory.

“The collaboration with Gregor Schneider, almost two decades later, is an opportunity to confront again an artistic language that unhinges certainties and challenges conventions,” said Foundation President Maurizio Morra Greco. “Bauen und Töten is not just an exhibition, but a milestone in our journey as a cultural institution: it is like closing a circle, and then opening another one with renewed enthusiasm, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the city of Naples and to contemporary art.”

The exhibition itinerary: places, memory and transformation

Among the works on display, Haus u r occupies a central place: this domestic structure, transformed into a work of art, was internationally recognized with the Golden Lion award at the 2001 Venice Biennale. Alongside it, the public will discover works such as the series It’s All Rheydt, Kolkata (2011), which explores the relationship between Western modernity and Hindu religion, and Sunny Demise ’s videos , Tagebau Hambach (2022), dedicated to depopulated villages in the lignite mining areas near Rheydt, the artist’s hometown. The latter project is particularly significant: Schneider used materials from these places back in the 1980s to bring his Haus u r to life. The exhibition design dialogues with the historic spaces of Avellino’s Palazzo Caracciolo, taking advantage of architectural details such as eighteenth-century paintings and stucco ornaments. This integration adds new layers to the exhibition’s central theme, questioning the symbolic implications of “building and destroying.”

Art as an antidote to collective trauma

Another focus of Bauen und Töten is the reflection on memory. At a complex moment in history, Schneider’s art is a spokesman for a universal message: the need to remember in order to prevent the recurrence of cultural and collective trauma. His works evoke the transformative power of memory, not only as a personal tool but as a fundamental element in the construction of a collective identity.

The exhibition is supported by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) and is part of a period of great ferment for the Morra Greco Foundation. In fact, Bauen und Töten inaugurates a cycle of initiatives that will see the Foundation engaged in planning for 2025, including new exhibitions and the next edition of EDI Global Forum, an event dedicated to contemporary art and global cultural reflection. This project is co-funded under the Culture and Tourism Strategic Plan 2024/2025 - EDI Global Forum Contemporary Art Exhibitions Project 2024, confirming the Foundation’s role as a point of reference for the Italian and international art scene.

Gregor Schneider: a master of contemporary art.

Born in Rheydt in 1969, Gregor Schneider is a central figure in contemporary art. His career, spanning more than four decades, is marked by a radical approach that challenges market conventions and the role of art in society. Institutions that have hosted his works include the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Tate Gallery in London. In 2001, he won the Golden Lion at the 49th Venice Biennale.

In Italy, his works have been exhibited in prestigious venues such as the MACRO Museum and Art City Bologna. Some of his works are part of the Morra Greco Collection in Naples, consolidating a bond that now finds a new expression with this exhibition.

For all information, you can visit the official website of the Morra Greco Foundation.

Naples, Gregor Schneider's exhibition at the Morra Greco Foundation: art, memory and construction

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