Hi Giulia, thanks for putting together this newsletter it is really fascinating! Your comments about putting a lot of energy into projects and feeling like you don't make progress resonated with me! But I guess we have to trust it all counts!
Ciao Natasha, thanks so much for your kind words 💛 I'm really glad that part resonated with you—it's something I often need to remind myself too. It can be hard to see the bigger picture when we're in the thick of it, but yes… we have to trust that it all adds up, even when progress feels invisible. Sending solidarity and encouragement your way!
P.S. How do you trust, though? Like, what helps you keep that faith when things feel slow or uncertain? I’m always curious how others navigate that feeling.
Thank you Giulia! I try to carefully choose my projects that I work on so they align with my values and a bigger picture. So if an aspect of them doesn't work out - like an in person event doesn't get enough attendance - it still taught me valuable lessons & it was a stepping stone to what I want to build. Then sometimes things manifest months later in a better way than you imagined...
Thank you Giulia for another amazing and thoughtful mail! I really enjoyed. Fun fact - Aryz’s mural from Lodz appeared in video game (Devil may Cry) in 2013. I think it was awesome. :) Only hoped that the artist was well paid but who knows these days.
Thanks for sharing that info—I actually didn’t know! Unlike the Spiderman example I mentioned in the newsletter, this would involve an artwork that already exists, so yes, let’s hope Aryz was at least informed, if not properly compensated (I’ll ask him next time we cross paths!).
Right now I’m deep in the process of contacting over 300 street artists to ask for permission to include photos of their work in my upcoming London street art book. It’s intense and, honestly, pretty overwhelming—so I guess I’m especially sensitive when it comes to how artists' work is used. 😅
Hi, on Lisbon - I'm sure you'll make time to explore the Lisbon Metro. It's a 'wall art' gallery well worth exploring. We bought two single tickets for the Metro one evening - I think it was about a Euro or so - and spent two hours exploring the stations. I came back home and made a photobook of what we saw.
On a recent visit to Rome, your online help with finding street art came in really handy. Have you written anything about the street art of Garbaretta and its relationship to the suburb as a hub of social activism? I didn't have enough time to explore the area enough, but I saw enough hints of that.
It doesn’t look like I can attach a screen shot onto this message of the Lisbon Metro where I had marked all the station we went to. But most of them were on the red line (Saldanha, Olaias, Bela Vista, Olivais, and Oriente). I took lots of photos of street art in Lisbon and Porto.
I just found out that a well-known South African artist, William Kentridge did a long wall art piece along the Tiber River, in 2016. I don’t know if it’s still there, do you know it? It’s called “Triumphs and Laments”. I’m so sorry I missed it when we were in Rome.
Thanks for the link. I didn’t have enough time to explore the street art in Rome as we were focused on the Baroque art, especially the brilliant Caravaggio exhibition. But we probably will return in the near future.
Thanks for the tip about the Lisbon metro! As for Kentridge’s piece in Rome, it’s no longer there—that was actually part of the reason the project was approved in the first place. I did take a few photos at the time, which you can find in some older blog posts about Trastevere. (very bad photos, though… taken with phone)
Kentridge also created a beautiful installation inside Toledo station in Naples, part of a public art initiative similar to the one you appreciated in Lisbon. I’ve shared some photos of that too, in past articles about what to see in Naples.
Ah, I forgot that I actually have the Lisbon project up as an ebook on the web. Take a look at https://anyflip.com/ximty/mrxf/ if you want :)
I don't have the names of the stations in the book, although you can gather from some of the photos where they were taken. It was more trying to find connections with the art as being from Portugal, and the hints there are of connections with my own heritage. Eg of course tile art is about as Portuguese as you can het :)
Regards, Charl
PS I also did a book many years ago about wall art in Sardinia, I'm sure you know the town it's famous for.
Hi Giulia, thanks for putting together this newsletter it is really fascinating! Your comments about putting a lot of energy into projects and feeling like you don't make progress resonated with me! But I guess we have to trust it all counts!
Ciao Natasha, thanks so much for your kind words 💛 I'm really glad that part resonated with you—it's something I often need to remind myself too. It can be hard to see the bigger picture when we're in the thick of it, but yes… we have to trust that it all adds up, even when progress feels invisible. Sending solidarity and encouragement your way!
P.S. How do you trust, though? Like, what helps you keep that faith when things feel slow or uncertain? I’m always curious how others navigate that feeling.
Thank you Giulia! I try to carefully choose my projects that I work on so they align with my values and a bigger picture. So if an aspect of them doesn't work out - like an in person event doesn't get enough attendance - it still taught me valuable lessons & it was a stepping stone to what I want to build. Then sometimes things manifest months later in a better way than you imagined...
Thank you Giulia for another amazing and thoughtful mail! I really enjoyed. Fun fact - Aryz’s mural from Lodz appeared in video game (Devil may Cry) in 2013. I think it was awesome. :) Only hoped that the artist was well paid but who knows these days.
Thanks for sharing that info—I actually didn’t know! Unlike the Spiderman example I mentioned in the newsletter, this would involve an artwork that already exists, so yes, let’s hope Aryz was at least informed, if not properly compensated (I’ll ask him next time we cross paths!).
Right now I’m deep in the process of contacting over 300 street artists to ask for permission to include photos of their work in my upcoming London street art book. It’s intense and, honestly, pretty overwhelming—so I guess I’m especially sensitive when it comes to how artists' work is used. 😅
Grazie Giulia per la condivisione :)
Grazie a te per avermi fatto scoprire questa cosa assurda!
Hi, on Lisbon - I'm sure you'll make time to explore the Lisbon Metro. It's a 'wall art' gallery well worth exploring. We bought two single tickets for the Metro one evening - I think it was about a Euro or so - and spent two hours exploring the stations. I came back home and made a photobook of what we saw.
On a recent visit to Rome, your online help with finding street art came in really handy. Have you written anything about the street art of Garbaretta and its relationship to the suburb as a hub of social activism? I didn't have enough time to explore the area enough, but I saw enough hints of that.
All the best, Charl Durand
Sunshine Coast, South Africa
Ciao Carl!
Yes, we’ll explore Lisbon in every direction—by metro, bus, and even ferry :-) Do you have any favorite metro stations from your time there?
As for Rome’s street art, Garbatella isn’t quite what it used to be, but I still write about it often. It remains one of my favorite neighborhoods, and I also lead urban walks in the area. You could start with this older article on political street art in Rome: https://www.blocal-travel.com/street-art/political-street-art-rome/ which includes Garbatella and other neighborhoods, and then dive into this neighborhood guide to get a broader feel for the place: https://www.blocal-travel.com/street-art-guide/street-art-in-garbatella/
Next time you're in town, let’s go there together!
Hello Giulia,
It doesn’t look like I can attach a screen shot onto this message of the Lisbon Metro where I had marked all the station we went to. But most of them were on the red line (Saldanha, Olaias, Bela Vista, Olivais, and Oriente). I took lots of photos of street art in Lisbon and Porto.
I just found out that a well-known South African artist, William Kentridge did a long wall art piece along the Tiber River, in 2016. I don’t know if it’s still there, do you know it? It’s called “Triumphs and Laments”. I’m so sorry I missed it when we were in Rome.
Thanks for the link. I didn’t have enough time to explore the street art in Rome as we were focused on the Baroque art, especially the brilliant Caravaggio exhibition. But we probably will return in the near future.
All the best and happy travels, Charl
Thanks for the tip about the Lisbon metro! As for Kentridge’s piece in Rome, it’s no longer there—that was actually part of the reason the project was approved in the first place. I did take a few photos at the time, which you can find in some older blog posts about Trastevere. (very bad photos, though… taken with phone)
Kentridge also created a beautiful installation inside Toledo station in Naples, part of a public art initiative similar to the one you appreciated in Lisbon. I’ve shared some photos of that too, in past articles about what to see in Naples.
Ah, I forgot that I actually have the Lisbon project up as an ebook on the web. Take a look at https://anyflip.com/ximty/mrxf/ if you want :)
I don't have the names of the stations in the book, although you can gather from some of the photos where they were taken. It was more trying to find connections with the art as being from Portugal, and the hints there are of connections with my own heritage. Eg of course tile art is about as Portuguese as you can het :)
Regards, Charl
PS I also did a book many years ago about wall art in Sardinia, I'm sure you know the town it's famous for.
Uh, I'll check them out!