Naples Museum uses Farnese sculptures for stoma awareness

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) is hosting ‘Oltre il punto di vista’ (Beyond the Point of View), an awareness project designed to reduce the stigma and embarrassment surrounding stoma and incontinence care.

As part of the ‘Siamo un’opera d’arte’ (We are a work of art) campaign, six masterpieces from the Farnese Collection—including the Farnese Hercules and the Venus Callipygia—are used as central elements of the exhibition. High-definition images of medical devices for stoma and incontinence are displayed on transparent plexiglass panels, which are perspectively overlaid onto the sculptures. This allows visitors to shift their viewpoint between the classical art and the medical reality.

The initiative is a collaboration between FAIS (Federation of Incontinence and Stoma Associations), the National Cancer Institute IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, and MANN. According to organizers, these conditions affect more than 10% of the Italian population. The project aims to emphasize that while medical devices may change a body, they do not change a person's dignity or identity.