Scattered throughout Italy, some abandoned, others restored and transformed into historic buildings open to the public, are churches repurposed for activities related to art and culture.
During ART CITY, an urban program promoted by the Municipality of Bologna in conjunction with Arte Fiera, we discovered, or rather “rediscovered”, a Baroque gem with a rather eventful history, now serving as a venue for cultural events and conferences.
Designed by Alfonso Torreggiani in 1733, the Oratory of Filippo Neri was opened for worship in August of the same year by Cardinal Lambertini, then Archbishop of Bologna. After several interruptions, the Oratory’s activities ceased in 1866 during the Napoleonic period, and from that moment it was repurposed for inappropriate military use. Various restoration efforts followed, but these were undone by heavy bombing during the Second World War, which destroyed much of the architecture. The work was never completed. The building was abandoned for many years and used solely as a warehouse for construction materials, which further damaged the structure. For years, it was the only monument in Bologna never to have been restored or recovered.
Currently, the Oratory is owned by the Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna, having been purchased in 1997 with the aim of returning it to the city for cultural activities. On December 20, 1999, the Oratory of San Filippo Neri finally reopened its doors to the public, transformed into a laboratory for experimenting with contemporary creative languages.
The restoration work entrusted to Pier Luigi Cervellati was an opportunity to reinterpret a centuries-old building by adapting it to new functions without altering the monument’s historical integrity. The wooden structure, designed to cover the dome that had deteriorated over the centuries, integrates perfectly with the architecture of the space, highlighting a fascinating layering of historical and artistic moments in this masterpiece of Bolognese architecture.
During ART CITY, the Oratory of San Filippo Neri hosted one of the flagship projects of the program: “Nave Nodriza”(Flagship) by the Catalan artist Eulalia Valldosera (Vilafranca del Penedès, 1964), a spectacular kinetic sculpture that rises in the nave’s space, descending from above to gently brush the surface below.
The body of the installation is represented by a very tall luminous stem ending with a superimposed triangle and circle, almost resembling a double halo. The spiraled core, which recalls the structure of human DNA, supports containers filled with oil, milk, and blood.
The work, conceived specifically for the Oratory’s spaces, invites us to reflect on environmental health, expressing its protest through a manifestation of light and beauty.
Completing the exhibition project is a video titled “La Despedita” (The Farewell), capturing the artist performing hand movements in water, while her voice guides us through a spiritual journey made up of biblical quotations.
Eulalia Valldosera (Barcelona, 1963) has exhibited in numerous international museums and galleries, including the Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, and PS1 in New York. She has participated in the Lyon Biennale (2009), the São Paulo Biennale (2004), the Venice Biennale (2001), the Johannesburg and Istanbul Biennales (1997), the Skulptur Projekte in Münster, and the Sydney Biennale (1996). Since 2009, she has collaborated with Studio Trisorio, where she has presented exhibitions such as Dependencia Mutua (2009), We Are One Body (2012), and Plastic Mantra (2016).