The work draws inspiration from the theme of “will” as an element capable of transforming reality and fostering grassroots self-determination.
In today’s common imagination, Tor Bella Monaca is often portrayed in a negative light, discredited both from an urban-planning and a social perspective. My intention is to give the neighbourhood a work that can be a source of pride, reflection, and action. In my research, I focused above all on the places of interest and the area’s potential—its past, and especially its possible futures. I believe in will as a force that can transform reality and enable self-determination from below. I believe in the strength of people who are not aligned or subjugated—individuals who are allergic to injustice and to every form of exploitation, discrimination, racism, homophobia, and tyranny. For this reason, I wanted to create a volcano, an undisputed symbol of nature’s power—geological power, with deep and ancient origins. Enormous masses of minerals melt beneath the ground due to extremely high pressures and temperatures, then burst to the surface through sudden eruptions. At the same time, the volcano is a symbol of willpower, enthusiasm, and the prolific generation of ideas and content. I imagined a volcano erupting possibilities, practices, and ideas—ideas that, as they fall back onto the territory, generate change, euphoria, and new possibilities. I hope the young people of Tor Bella Monaca will grow up with a volcano of ideas inside them, to shape their own future and, with determination and willpower, improve their prospects, those of the neighbourhood, and of the entire city. I also hope that public administrations will show the will to take care of this suburb which, like many others, has been neglected for far too long and now needs investment and immediate maintenance—both for buildings and for public space. This worksite, in its own small way, took care of that: it restored the façade by repairing the plaster and rehabilitating the fallen and deteriorated parts, even before laying down the first brushstroke and beginning to paint.
The work is also connected to another defining element of the area—particularly its historical heritage: the discovery of a Roman-era paved road made of basoli, volcanic in origin (basalt, leucitite, effusive volcanic rock), which the Romans used to build roads. This road, located not far from the selected building, is a section of the ancient Via Gabina, and can be visited near Via Agostino Mitelli and Via Giovanni Castano.
41.882742°N 12.626522°E
A free and multiple association—intellectual, artistic, territorial, cultural, historical, and geological—led me to paint a “volcano of ideas” in this neighbourhood.
Andreco’s work “Volcano of Tor Bella Monaca” was accompanied by neighbourhood workshops and communication activities. The work was produced by Museo delle Periferie – Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, curated by Giorgio de Finis, and was the winner of the Second Call of the Lazio Region “Lazio Street Art 2022.”
