A weave of light, memory, and spirituality that begins in the heart of Siena and reaches all the way to San Francisco. This is the extraordinary journey of the site-specific installation by American artist Jacob Hashimoto, created for Santa Maria della Scala and soon to be hosted by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) — one of the world’s leading temples of contemporary art.

The announcement comes from Cristiano Leone, President of the Fondazione Santa Maria della Scala, who highlights how this project fully embodies the museum complex’s new artistic and cultural direction.

“We needed a program truly conceived for Santa Maria della Scala,” explains Leone, “and Hashimoto perfectly captured the spirit of the place. He came from New York, met the citizens, listened to their stories, and transformed all this into a poetic tribute to the souls that have passed through these spaces over the centuries.”

The installation — monumental yet delicate — rises 17 meters high and gathers over 3,000 suspended kites, symbols of the souls inhabiting the memory of the ancient hospital. The interplay of transparency, shadow, and lightness creates an intense dialogue with the architecture of the complex, transforming the great nave into a space of contemplation and wonder.

For Leone, Hashimoto’s work marks a key step in Santa Maria’s renewal: “This installation was born in Siena but speaks a universal language. It is a bridge between past and present, between the millennia-old history of this place and the global breath of contemporary art. The fact that, after its time here, it will travel to MoMA is an extraordinary recognition not only of the project but also of the city that inspired it.”

A symbolic flight, then, for Hashimoto’s kites — from the hills of Siena to the San Francisco Bay — carrying with them the voices, memories, and beauty of a place that continues to generate art and vision.