TRAUMATIC TRASH PIZZA
“A large Traumatic Trash Pizza with extra everything, please!”
In that simple order lies a deeper exploration of the indelible traces we leave behind when we die. Just as every ingredient contributes to a pizza’s unique flavour, our lives are made of a complex blend of experiences, memories, and passions that characterise our material heritage.
In Traumatic Trash Pizza, artists Christoph and Sebastian Mügge invite audiences to consider the weight of these legacies through a polyhedric installation that merges personal stories, historical artifacts, contemporary myths and stereotypes.
With a playful yet poignant approach, the site-specific composition transforms spazio contemporanea into a modern archaeological dig, where infinite lives unveil themselves in a visually rich environment through their contribution made of material collections, images and video, monumental wall drawings, and sculptural objects. Within these layers, the artists challenge clichéd notions, confront traditional roles, and spotlight urgent questions of our time.
The exhibition develops through different narratives: starting from the touching story of a local pizza baker who, in a unique ritual, burns pizzas as offerings for the souls of beloved departed dogs and pets; we then arrive at the symbolic “last dinner before death” – a final meal shared in the face of mortality. These poignant acts reflect on the themes of remembrance and legacy, illuminating the bonds and gestures that define us at life’s end.
Traumatic Trash Pizza examines nostalgia, distorted truths, fabricated traditions, and forgotten routines, while reflecting on the persistent influence of Catholicism and mysticism on Italians’ stereotypical approach to the theme of death. Together, these elements reveal the weight of antiquity on modern society, inviting viewers to reconsider Italy beyond the “Dolce Vita” and witness an evocative fusion of kitsch and sublime, trash and transcendence.
Through the memories and personal stories of Brescia’s residents, Christoph and Sebastian Mügge capture the city’s essence—its unique spirit and its ongoing dialogue with memory, tradition, and identity.
This exhibition invites audiences to ponder universal themes: How do we relate to a past that perhaps never existed? What traces do we leave behind? How sustainable were our lives, and how do we hope to be remembered?
Sebastian (b. 1981) and Christoph Mügge (b. 1983) are German-born artist brothers residing in Sweden. Working as a duo since 2017, they have exhibited in more than twenty countries. Sebastian holds an MFA from Umeå Academy of Fine Arts (2011), and Christoph earned his diploma from Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (2013).
