The project
1. The heart of the project
At the centre is Ercole, an 18th-century wooden sculpture transferred from the Petrolo Estate to the Civico Museo Parisi Valle. From a forgotten object, it becomes the protagonist of an open process: not only restoration, but an opportunity for encounter, reflection and shared creation.
2. The open workshop
Inside the museum, a restoration workshop has been set up for public viewing, coordinated by chief restorer Franco Sartori. Here, caring for artefacts is not just a technical intervention, but a collective gesture: restoration becomes an experience to be observed, understood and experienced.
3. Artistic interventions
Around Hercules, actions and works develop that interact with the sculpture and its material. The invited artists do not illustrate, but shift, activate new senses, and open up possibilities.
In the first event:
- Giancarlo Norese, with a work created remotely through the hands of Francesca Petrolo.
- Diana Dorizzi, with a site-specific intervention on the face of Hercules.
4. A constantly evolving process
The project is not limited to an exhibition: it is a sequence of encounters, gestures and dialogues. Each phase produces new relationships and new meanings. A research community made up of artists, restorers, scholars and citizens takes shape around the work.
5. Collective creation
“Art is a useless effort” is an experiment in collective creation and public debate. It explores the boundaries between art and craft, between conservation and invention, between public and private.
In the “effort of doing”, we rediscover the shared dimension of art: a gesture that unites, transforms and generates knowledge.
Il progetto è curato da Francesca Petrolo, Franco Sartori, Ermanno Cristini e Umberto Cavenago
Orari del Museo dal 6 dicembre 2025: venerdì 14:30 - 18:30, sabato e domenica 10:00 -12:00 e 14:30 -18:30
