I feel the same about London - most of the new pieces are polished and mostly they are nice portraits of woman or animal, nothing to argue or discuss about. The good thing is that if you look hardly, you still find valuable works, even they won’t have size of mural. Really can’t wait for your London book, this time I’m planning to buy it… there! :) Take care Giulia, a lot of support for you from Lodz xxx
Exactly 😁 and that’s where my London book comes in handy 😉 I’m spotlighting the meaningful pieces, the committed artists, the overlooked mini-installations, and those hand-painted posters that vanish too quickly. Plus, all the spots worth exploring beyond the usual suspects (Shoreditch, Brick Lane, and Hackney Wick).
Hope our paths cross again soon, maybe in London or in Łódź! I actually looked into flights for this summer, but turns out we can’t leave Rome right now—we're in the middle of running all the print tests for the London books, and of course, it's taking longer than expected... Coming any other time of year that isn’t summer just feels a bit too bold for our Latin blood! 😁
This was such an interesting and painfully resonant read. London used to be the city I dreamed of ending up in. When I finally returned in 2023 after nearly twenty years, it felt like walking through a movie set of itself — especially in Camden. Polished, themed, flattened. Coming straight from Bristol, it hit even harder: how something once raw and full of tension can now feel like packaging.
There’s a strange kind of grief in watching street art become branding — when you still remember it as rupture. This piece puts that discomfort into words with clarity — and makes you wonder how many cities are quietly being streamlined the same way.
Marrakech, the city I actually ended up in, changed the way I look at street art. It’s not really known for it. No big names, no large-scale murals, no hype. The only pieces that get commissioned are for riads or restaurants. And yet, it feels more rooted. If you stop expecting size or polish, a whole visual language emerges — fragile, fleeting, but full of meaning. Marrakech made me question what counts as street art, and who gets to decide that.
This: There’s a strange kind of grief in watching street art become branding — when you still remember it as rupture.
And I’ve been really enjoying your posts from Marrakesh, not just the ones about street art, but all of them. I’ve never been, but your words draw such a clear and thoughtful picture that I feel like I’ve seen it through your eyes.
No. But that's basically because I'm a curmudgeonly old fart. If I'm approached to make something in the street I'll offer my ideas - which are generally of a social, political bent, or of a location relevant subject. If I get asked to modify the proposal, my usual response is 'Why did you ask me if you don't want what I do? And if you know what you want, why didn't you ask for it specifically in the first place?'
I'm not swimming in money and I'm certainly not in the top league of outdoor art producers, but I consider it's better to refuse immediately than to regret later. I have turned down a lot of potential work for a lot of different reasons, but I feel you've got to be able to at least live with yourself. It's not high-mindedness, it's self-protection.
I believe the work you choose not to do says just as much about you as an artist as the work you create. Setting boundaries is important, and it gives more strength and meaning to everything else you do.
I feel the same about London - most of the new pieces are polished and mostly they are nice portraits of woman or animal, nothing to argue or discuss about. The good thing is that if you look hardly, you still find valuable works, even they won’t have size of mural. Really can’t wait for your London book, this time I’m planning to buy it… there! :) Take care Giulia, a lot of support for you from Lodz xxx
Exactly 😁 and that’s where my London book comes in handy 😉 I’m spotlighting the meaningful pieces, the committed artists, the overlooked mini-installations, and those hand-painted posters that vanish too quickly. Plus, all the spots worth exploring beyond the usual suspects (Shoreditch, Brick Lane, and Hackney Wick).
Hope our paths cross again soon, maybe in London or in Łódź! I actually looked into flights for this summer, but turns out we can’t leave Rome right now—we're in the middle of running all the print tests for the London books, and of course, it's taking longer than expected... Coming any other time of year that isn’t summer just feels a bit too bold for our Latin blood! 😁
This was such an interesting and painfully resonant read. London used to be the city I dreamed of ending up in. When I finally returned in 2023 after nearly twenty years, it felt like walking through a movie set of itself — especially in Camden. Polished, themed, flattened. Coming straight from Bristol, it hit even harder: how something once raw and full of tension can now feel like packaging.
There’s a strange kind of grief in watching street art become branding — when you still remember it as rupture. This piece puts that discomfort into words with clarity — and makes you wonder how many cities are quietly being streamlined the same way.
Marrakech, the city I actually ended up in, changed the way I look at street art. It’s not really known for it. No big names, no large-scale murals, no hype. The only pieces that get commissioned are for riads or restaurants. And yet, it feels more rooted. If you stop expecting size or polish, a whole visual language emerges — fragile, fleeting, but full of meaning. Marrakech made me question what counts as street art, and who gets to decide that.
This: There’s a strange kind of grief in watching street art become branding — when you still remember it as rupture.
And I’ve been really enjoying your posts from Marrakesh, not just the ones about street art, but all of them. I’ve never been, but your words draw such a clear and thoughtful picture that I feel like I’ve seen it through your eyes.
It's all been getting too polite for a long time...
Do you ever feel pressured, as an artist, to tone things down or be more polite?
No. But that's basically because I'm a curmudgeonly old fart. If I'm approached to make something in the street I'll offer my ideas - which are generally of a social, political bent, or of a location relevant subject. If I get asked to modify the proposal, my usual response is 'Why did you ask me if you don't want what I do? And if you know what you want, why didn't you ask for it specifically in the first place?'
I'm not swimming in money and I'm certainly not in the top league of outdoor art producers, but I consider it's better to refuse immediately than to regret later. I have turned down a lot of potential work for a lot of different reasons, but I feel you've got to be able to at least live with yourself. It's not high-mindedness, it's self-protection.
I believe the work you choose not to do says just as much about you as an artist as the work you create. Setting boundaries is important, and it gives more strength and meaning to everything else you do.
Fascinating and depressing. At least there's still Exarcheia!
Absolutely! Though I was there last October, and things are changing quickly there too (still a long way from London, thankfully).