Back R(H)ome, for now 😉
Back to My Rome Street Art Tours—But First... Will I See You in Athens?
Ciao,
how are you?
My September was cleaved right down the middle, each half a fleeting echo of the other.
The first half had me in London, wrapping up interviews for my upcoming book on the local street art scene while continuing to explore the city. On top of that, I joined a panel of street art experts, organized by the Urban Surface Research Network and hosted at the Global Street Art HQ, and followed the early stages of the London Mural Festival (I’ll be writing about it for UP Magazine—stay tuned!).
Then, I made my way to Portsmouth, a charming, time-capsule of a city on the English coast, for the LookUp street art festival.
Portsmouth is also the hometown of the incredible street artist My Dog Sighs, who showed me around for the weekend. In the vlog below, he’ll take us through his city while the second edition of the LookUp festival unfolds.
At the end of the vlog, I promised a round-up article diving into all the artworks, but with over 100 street artists in action—and some highlights from last year to cover—I’m still working on it. Stay tuned, it’s coming soon!
Back in London, I stuffed my summer memories into a 23-kilo suitcase (yes, I had to sit on it to get it to close!) and flew back to R(H)ome.
Now, I’m diving into the final preparations for our last street art adventure of 2024—and we’re headed to Athens!
If you’re curious about the details, just click the link to learn more about our Athens street art trip. I’m still working on the itinerary, so I’ll be sharing more updates later this week. Can’t wait to explore Athens together! 😊
Aside from working on our Athens trip, I’ve been busy with some small but satisfying home improvements. First off, I finally hung up all the amazing artworks and prints that artists gifted me during my two months in London. And, in a true “I’m getting older” moment, I bought a second-hand monitor -because this summer, I officially hit the age where squinting at a laptop screen all day feels like training for an Olympic sport.
No further updates on my end—my “back to school” (aka back to reality) has been pretty eventful, aside from a couple of street art tours around Rome with some of you lovely folks visiting in September. Naturally, these tours ended with epic lunches at the food market, drowned in good wine and some truly fascinating conversations.
I also took some much-needed time to retreat to my cave, reorganize my little corner of the living room (aka my home office, which you can see in the photo above), and most importantly, tackle the chaotic digital space that is my Notion overview. It’s still full of endless to-do lists—but hey, at least now they’re organized aesthetically.
BTW, I just watched a video on YouTube that pointed out there are only 100 days left in 2024—crazy, right? It was all about how to make the most of them, and since I found it interesting, I’ll drop the link in the “handpicked by yours truly” section below. This month, instead of writing a full editorial, I’m sharing links.
After 10 years of this newsletter (yep, the first one went out in September 2014! 🎂), you’ve probably figured out that the format is always evolving. Some months, I dive deep into urban art topics, other times I vent about projects that exploit or commodify the scene, and then there are months like this, where it’s all about fun, interesting, and a little random stuff I’ve stumbled upon.
The beauty of this project is that it’s mine, and I run it how I want! 😁 The last thing I want is to box this newsletter into some rigid, repetitive format just because “experts” say that’s the way to do it. I prefer to keep it fluid, creative, and different each month—while still showing up in your inbox every first of the month for a decade now.
But while I’m not following the rules of newsletter gurus, I do listen to you. In fact, I’d love to hear what topics you want me to cover and how often you’d like to see them. A while back, I created a reader survey, which I share from time to time, tweaking the questions as I go (yes, I know that’s not how you’re “supposed” to handle data, but, hey, I make my own rules here!). Last month, I tucked the survey at the end of a newsletter packed with heavy discussions about street art ownership, commodification, and ethics, so I get it—filling out a survey wasn’t exactly a priority after all that!
That said, the reader survey is really important to me because I want to make sure this newsletter continues to be worth your time. Plus, there are a couple of questions about 2025 trips, and you get to help choose the next destination! So this time, I’m putting the survey right up here at the top. It’s only 9 quick questions, and it’ll take just a few minutes—promise!
Until next month,
Giulia
👣 Travel with Me
Let’s Explore Athens Together, from October 18 to 21!
Our last adventure of 2024 takes us to Athens, and like our trips to Paris, Madrid, and London, it’s all about discovering the city’s street art scene.
This trip is part of my research for an independent, self-published book on Athens’ street art, set to be released in 2025 – and you’ll get to join in on the process! Let’s explore Athens together, uncovering hidden murals and the city’s unique culture.
NEW on the Blog!
RUN on Cultivating Walls and Weaving Human Connections Through Street Art.
Originally from Ancona, a coastal town in Italy with a rich graffiti tradition, Giacomo Bufarini, better known as RUN, emerged as one of the pioneers of Italian street art. His distinctive, surreal figures have since gained international recognition, appearing at festivals and biennials around the world. Through his murals, RUN pushes boundaries, delving into themes of cultural exchange, human connection, and the complexities of urban life.
New VLOG from Portsmouth, My Dog Sighs’ Hometown
Join me and My Dog Sighs as we explore his hometown of Portsmouth (UK) during the LookUp Street Art Festival!
Watch over 100 artists from around the world, including Reka One, Jasmine Crisp, KMG, Ben Eine, Abraham.O, Perspicere, Giulio Vesprini, and Marina Capdevila, in action as they transform the city with stunning street art.
Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at the street artists at work during an unforgettable weekend!
Where to Find Banksy’s Street Art in London?
This guide will help you navigate London to find Banksy’s famous works—both old and new—while steering clear of unauthorized exhibitions that exploit his name for profit.
Let’s dive into this comprehensive Banksy street art guide, where you’ll discover where to find his work in London’s streets, museums, and galleries.
Dulwich Outdoor Gallery: Blending Classical Masterpieces with Street Art.
One of the hidden gems in London’s street art scene is the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery, an extraordinary collection of murals in Dulwich. These murals, created by some of the world’s most renowned street artists, draw inspiration from 17th and 18th-century paintings housed in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, which is England’s first purpose-built public art gallery.
This project explores the relationship between street art and the continuum of art history, bringing artwork outside the museum and into the streets, thus allowing residents and visitors alike to experience and engage with the gallery’s collection in a more accessible, everyday setting.
Handpicked by Yours Truly
The video by Struthless I’ve mentioned in the introduction:
During my time in London, I watched the first four seasons of Parks and Recreation, a TV show created by the same team behind The Office (one of my favorite TV shows ever!) Like The Office, Parks & Rec uses a mockumentary style to follow the daily lives of employees in the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Now I'm desperate because I can't continue watching the series from Italy—it’s not available here!
Instead, I binge-watched Nobody Wants This on Netflix (yes, I finished the whole thing last night at 3:30 AM). It was the romantic TV show I didn’t know I needed on an anxious, sleepless night!
For my upcoming book on street art in London, I interviewed one of the city's graffiti pioneers, Remi Rough. In addition to being a visual artist, Remi is also a music producer, crafting electronic and ambient soundscapes. He blends and layers various elements to create immersive audio experiences that perfectly complement the minimalist, geometric style of his murals. I'm completely obsessed with his latest album—you should listen to it too:
Robbo vs Banksy is a very interesting documentary on one of the most famous rivalries in the street art world. The back-and-forth between Banksy and Robbo began when Robbo retaliated by painting over Banksy’s alteration of his original piece along the Regent’s Canal. Robbo replaced Banksy’s worker image with bold graffiti, reigniting his presence in the scene. This sparked a series of exchanges where Robbo’s crew repeatedly defaced Banksy’s works across London, altering or covering them with graffiti tags. Banksy occasionally responded in turn, creating new versions of the pieces. The rivalry gained widespread attention and became a symbolic battle between traditional graffiti and the more commercialized street art movement:
This is a stunning video blending Greek graffiti with music. Even though I can't read the Greek language, I absolutely love it:
Another video I rediscovered while researching for our trip to Athens is this cinematic clip of 1UP taking over the city. I had seen it before, and it’s still as captivating as ever.
👇 The most clicked link last month 👇
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Giulia grazie come sempre per le informazioni e per i link! Mi trovi totalmente dalla tua parte quando scrivi che il format si evolve, ma principalmente ascoltando i tuoi lettori. Continua sempre così :)