Nostalgia of Rome | Happy May

Street Art in Rome and more cool stuff, in your every-1st-of-the-month newsletter

May 01, 2021

Hi there, how are you?

Earlier this month I watched a documentary about street art in Rome (Vertical Conquests) and, as the cameramen went across the different neighborhoods and I recalled anecdotes about this or that location, I felt so nostalgic that I said out loud: I miss Rome.

Despite the fact that I'm living in Rome for a couple of months already, it still doesn’t feel like being back for real. There are many friends I haven’t seen yet, and I rarely go out from my neighborhood. Truth is, there is not much happening in other neighborhoods either, although last week I was in Centocelle to meet with street artist Etnik (more on that next month). Even now that restaurants and bars have reopened, if I go out to dinner in another neighborhood I won’t make it in time for the 10pm curfew.

In a book I’m reading right now (more on that in the habitual ‘curated list’ below), Paul Klee writes that Rome looks like a never ending narrative. On my daytime walks, I couldn’t help wondering: what story is Rome telling now? First of all, this story is narrated in Italian for a change. The ubiquitous street poster art in Trastevere, an area that used to be crowded with tourists, where international street artists wheat-pasted their stuff all year round, is now dotted with street poems in Roman dialect.

More in general, I can see the difference between neighborhoods that used to narrate their story to outsiders (either tourists or commuters and office employees) and neighborhoods whose narrative was -and still is, that’s the big the difference- self-centered. I’ve been to one of these, my beloved Trullo, and in the habitual ‘recap section’ below you’ll find a street art guide to explore this beautiful, inward-looking neighbourhood. Don’t be nostalgic: you can still travel to Rome via my blog!

Until next month,

Giulia

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Street Poetry and Street Art in Rome’s Trullo Neighbourhood

I’ve been writing about the cultural revolution in the streets of Trullo ever since 2014, and each time I promise you more updates on what’s going on in one of my favorite Roman neighborhoods. I’m fascinated by the ‘metroromantic’ soul of this area, the pastel colours of its courtyards, and the ruins on Montecucco hill; but Trullo neighbourhood has also some majestic murals, which you can read about in the street art guide below:

If you are seeing this, turn on images in your inbox ;) — Jorit, Trullo (2018)

I wanna read it!

Handpicked by yours truly

Stuff I liked this month

Borondo’s immersive exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum ‘Esteban Vicente’ in Segovia, Spain. From the looks of the teaser he just posted, Borondo created a multi-sensory experience that makes an innovative museum concept, but nevertheless has a lot in common with his street practice, from the scratch on glass technique to the wide, instinctive strokes that made him stand out in the streets of Rome.
“Hereditas”, Gonzalo Borondo @ Esteban Vicente Museum (2021)
Watching the teaser, I felt so frustrated we can’t travel yet… (which brings me to beg you to tag @Giulia_blocal_blog and #Blocalnewsletter when posting about any great exhibition you might visit!)
Mural(s) of the Month: Bordalo II realised not one, but two seahorses in Faro, Portugal. Feature of his ‘Big Trash Animals’ is being made out of junk and found objects.
Bordalo II, Faro (2021)
Bordalo II’s installations draw attention on endangered species while giving waste a new life, as I learnt during the week he spent at my place, while creating a beautiful goat made of trash in the city center of Rome. (if you haven’t yet read the story of that crazy week, go ahead!)
This documentary movie on the street art & graffiti lifestyle, through the eyes of the legendary artist NYCHOS (whom I interviewed a couple of years ago). My favorite part of the movie is the one shot in Detroit, for all the abandoned buildings covered with graffiti and the decadent charm of a city I’ve always wanted to visit…
I watched not one, but two movies with / by Ricky Gervais: “David Brent, Life on the Road”, which is the sequel of “The Office UK” (I’m still recovering from finishing all the nine seasons of “The Office USA”, BTW), and “The Invention of Lying”, a funny story set in a world where everybody can only tell the truth:
This past month I read “The Mental Load - A Feminist Comic”, a graphic novel by French artist Emma. I loved her comic strip about sharing household chores, which went viral a few years ago, and the book is no less brilliant than its predecessor.
Another great read of the month has been a collection of Paul Klee’s letters from Rome, where he lived from 1901 to 1902. Through his writing, Klee paints a city that is completely different from the one I live in, and yet fundamentally the same. I’ve highlighted the spots he loved the most, I might write an article comparing our impressions on those… stay tuned!

I can’t recommend enough the eye-opening documentary movie Seaspiracy, which sheds lights on the enormous environmental impact of the fishing industry:

The ARTIST CALL for this year’s CHEAP festival is on. Street poster artists can apply until the 1st of June 2021 “with signs and imagery, provocations and projects translated into posters”. Check out the conditions for participation and good luck!
I really would like to know what you liked in the past month. Just reply to this email to send over your suggestions ;)

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From the Archive

A Chat With Graffiti Writer NYCHOS

In Amsterdam to paint a wall at NDSM, graffiti writer and “street anatomist” NYCHOS shared with me some crazy stories about his early graffiti days.

NYCHOS began painting graffiti in 1997 in his hometown of Graz (Austria). He was already drawing from comics and cartoons, but he was hanging back on adding colors because he didn’t have the patience required by acrylic paints. No 15-year-old kid has, after all, just as they are not willing to sit in the studio and meticulously paint canvases. That’s when Nychos found out about graffiti.

Keep reading on the blog!

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