Luiss President Vincenzo Boccia will be one of the guests at the preview of the “CasaCorriere Festival,” an event organized to mark the 25th anniversary of Corriere del Mezzogiorno. The festival kicks off on Friday, November 4, at 11:00 AM at the Palazzo Reale in Naples. Under the artistic direction of Laura Valente, the Festival will bring together intellectuals, politicians, academics, and journalists until Sunday, November 6, to explore the interplay of art, sustainability, and innovation at one of the most iconic sites in all of Southern Italy.

In conversation with Corriere della Sera editor Luciano Fontana, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, Palazzo Reale director Mario Epifani, and Corriere del Mezzogiorno editor Enzo d’Errico, President Boccia will explore the event’s themes, starting with the impact and cultural significance of the works by Serge Attukwei Clottey, one of the most sought-after African artists in the global contemporary art market and the first guest of the Luiss “Art for Education” project.

Clottey, born in 1985 and originally from Ghana, creates intricate textiles by joining hundreds of pieces of old yellow plastic with copper wire. This plastic waste represents his “way home” and, at the same time, a reminder of the African people's migrations. It all began with the plastic cans used in Africa to transport cooking oil. These blue, white, and yellow containers became precious items in Ghana during a period of severe drought, as families used them to carry water home. They were then abandoned everywhere: in makeshift dumps on beaches, on city streets, and all around, contributing to a rise in pollution levels across the entire region. Over 18 years ago, Clottey decided to ‘transform’ them into works of art, creating a very powerful narrative that makes him an artistic ambassador for the ‘circular economy.’

One of these works, titled “Sometime in your life” (2015-2022), is on display at the Luiss campus on Viale Pola, alongside three other creations the artist produced during his residency at the university. The “Art for Education” initiative was launched in May 2022 to host artists from Mediterranean countries and the African continent, who create and exhibit their works on campus. These are donations ultimately intended to be sold on the market to fund scholarships for young talents from the artist’s home country.

Clottey’s three works created at Luiss— “Man’s Labor,” “Bodytour,” and “Woman’s Strength”—will be on display at the Palazzo Reale during the three-day Casa Corriere event.

“Art for Education is a key piece in Luiss's project mosaic, thanks to the creative power of works inspired by the values of sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. These works build a cultural bridge between Italy and Africa and generate value that can be reinvested in talent from neighboring countries. Italy can become a true “Euro-Mediterranean training hub” if it can attract young people from these regions, train them, and shape them into the future local leadership of public and private institutions. It’s a major cultural diplomacy project that our university has been pursuing for some time,” said University President Vincenzo Boccia. 

Starting Tuesday, November 8, the second guest of the “Art for Education” project, Tunisian artist Takoua Ben Mohamed, will be at Luiss.