The Spaceship

Matlakas is an eclectic and multifaceted Neapolitan artist, oriented towards the use of different artistic forms, from painting to sculpture to dance to performing arts. His fun and colorful work was created in Aielli in 2019. The artist stayed in the town for some time, thus having the opportunity to get to know the streets and faces, habits and stories, letting himself be inspired by the encounter with the community that enriched his and our experience. Each symbol on his wall arises from an episode, a meeting or a conversation with the locals. Each drawing stands out like a planet on the empty space of the cosmos that welcomes it. Many images are inherent to space, constellations and galaxies, such as the teddy bears on the side of the house indicating the Ursa Major and Minor; we don't know the absolutely personal history of many others: from the frying pan with eggs, to television, and so on. Some objects from everyday life in Abruzzo appear above, linked to agriculture or the history of the village. Melting ice cream is a recurring symbol in the artist's works and performances which encapsulates the urgency of environmental problems in a simple image. In fact, the ice cream falls and melts on the world, but, if you look closely, a small piece of the planet detaches itself from it: it is Aielli, with its tower of the stars and its telescopes pointed at the sky, which, like a spaceship, ventures into the 'universe. Matlakas wanted to paint our country in this way, in which he felt welcomed at home, like a happy island or a world apart, perhaps in some ways far from the environmental crises that affect the rest of our planet. The lower part of the mural, completed in 2021, represents some salient moments of the novel Fontamara, emblem of our history and manifesto of the future that we try to build together. The electric light and water covered by a red x recall the first moments of the novel, when the people of Fontamare have their electricity cut off and their river water stolen. A little further on, a series of icons illustrates one of the most famous passages of the novel:

“At the head of all there is God, master of heaven. Everyone knows this. Then comes Prince Torlonia, master of the land. Then come the prince's guards. Then come the prince's guard dogs. Then, nothing. Then, still nothing. Then, still nothing. Then come the rude people. And you can say it's finished."( cit. Borgouniverso.com)