THE NEXT HOLIDAYS | SILVIA NADDEO
Silvia Naddeo (Rome, 1984), with her project The Next Holidays, approaches the highly topical issue of the environmental impact of consumer habits and their resulting accumulation with sensitivity and creativity, offering a critical reflection that is not detached from an original aesthetic exploration.
At the heart of the installation are disposable ice cream spoons, objects seemingly harmless yet emblematic of the uncontrolled—and unnecessary—production of single-use plastic. Naddeo, not without a touch of irony, interprets this widespread phenomenon by advancing a critique of consumerism and an indictment of the pollution caused by plastics. She employs a vibrant color palette that captivates the viewer and evokes memories tied to childhood. Central to this imagery of childhood and holiday nostalgia is an inflatable mattress—reminiscent of those used at the beach or pool. The physical association of these two objects invites the viewer into a free mental association and elicits contrasting emotions: on the one hand, the bright colors and holiday connotations inspire joy and lightness; on the other, the excessive number of disposable spoons generates a sense of waste and futility, reminding us of the severe environmental impact of habitual and seemingly innocent pleasures like eating an ice cream on a summer day…
A distinctive detail, characteristic of Naddeo’s entire body of work, is the presence of mosaic fragments on the tips of some spoons, simulating remnants of ice cream. The mosaic, an ancient, precious, and refined technique, becomes an essential—albeit subtle and less overt—symbolic element of the artwork.
Through this installation, Naddeo prompts the audience to question their own habits and the environmental impact they entail, as if to suggest that ‘awareness’ never goes on vacation. The Next Holidays thus becomes a work that blends a compelling aesthetics with a necessary social critique, encouraging individual reflection with, ideally, collective repercussions.
Silvia Naddeo
The Next Holidays, 2018
Installation in smalti, glass, glass-ceramic, plastics, environmental measurements
Courtesy the artist
Silvia Naddeo, The Next Holidays, 2018.
Installation view, detail. Courtesy the artist.
11/12/24