Past, Present, Future | Happy March

Italian post-graffiti artist Greg Jager and more cool stuff, in your every-1st-of-the-month newsletter

Mar 01, 2021

Happy March!

Hey there, how are you doing?

February has gone by so fast it basically run away. I’m still settling in my new, old apartment and figuring out what jobs shall I apply to in the coming weeks. The only thing certain is that I’ll take advantage of the free time I now have to bring you all the artist features I’ve procrastinated so far, like the one I’ve just published: the story of Rome’s graffiti writer Greg Jager, who was active between the 1990s and the 2000s.

With Greg we talked about the way analog photos of graffiti were shared back then, interrail travel and the dawn of the internet, reminiscing that time when we both hung out on chat rooms where it was possible to have fun with like-minded people without the constant danger of getting pictures of nudes (or without all the stress that hanging out on social media has added to the table).

Writing about the graffiti scene at the turn of the millennium brought me back to a series of memories from my childhood, like when I heard this noise for the very first time.

I remember I thought of ‘the internet’ as something to do on the rare occasions I got to be at the computer (though on most of those occasions I would rather play with ‘Prince of Persia’). The internet felt special and, likewise any other exceptional activity, it wasn’t saturating my life.

The appeal of the internet grew as my pen-pals of the time were getting their first email address and we started writing each others electronic mails. I wasn’t after the fast delivery (I was checking my emails every other week anyway), I just enjoyed playing with the new toy. It was a different way to share those analog photos of graffiti:

Since then, my mailing habit has kept adapting to its present time as it runs away. Two months ago I switched the mailing platform I use to send you this monthly letter and I might be launching a second newsletter somewhere in the summer. (speaking of which: I’m curious to know if there is any particular topic you want me to cover in it).

Since when I sent my first email the technology has definitely evolved but, at the end of the day (or, well, at the end of the month), I am here doing the very same thing: sharing life updates, as well as photos of graffiti and street art, with you.

Until next month,

Giulia

ps. totally unrelated, but I wanted to share with you also this photo I took in February:

NEW on Blocal Blog!

From Graffiti Writing to Contemporary Art: The Story of Greg Jager

JAGER was active on and under the streets of Rome at the turn of the millennium, as part of the second generation of graffiti writers in Rome. It was the time of ‘the big buff’ (when the massive legacy of Rome’s first generation of graffiti was erased), the time of the arrival of the internet (which made comminglings of different styles more common), the time of interrail travel (when Rome suddenly became the graffiti paradise of Europe), the time of self-produced movies by different crews (which documented the adrenaline-fuelled action), and -last, but definitely not least- the dawn of Rome’s street art movement.

All these phenomena, and much more, are intertwined with Greg Jager’s career and the evolution of his aesthetics from graffiti writing to contemporary art.

Read the article on the blog

NEW on Blocal Youtube Channel!

A Video on Procrastination That You Can Watch Tomorrow

In 2019 I wrote a video on procrastination. Little did I know, it would take me over 3 years to finally upload it ;)

Handpicked by yours truly

Stuff I liked this month

Two months ago, in this section of the newsletter, I shared the link of a video with the “Sounds of Amsterdam”. Many of you clicked on it, so one month later I shared a similar video with the “Sounds of Rome”. Seeing a pattern, a loyal reader made a video with the sounds of Long Island Railroad, the line that brings you into New York City, to share it with me and with you all <3 I wanna thank Ray once again here for this sweet present <3 Enjoy Ray’s video and feel free to send me acoustic presents from your city :)
Let’s stay in New York City for this documentary on hip hop culture by Rome’s rapper Danno (Colle Der Fomento), who traveled to the Mecca of hip hop in 2014 to answer the question: is hip hop still alive?
I’m reading Isabelle Allende’s City of the Beasts, which -with its Amazonian settings and totem animals- definitely feels like a breath of fresh air for me. I didn’t know how much I needed this exotic escapism until I started this book :)
Mural of the Month: “Llibertat” by Cinta Vidal
On February 7th, people from the graffiti and fine arts world organised an event in the Parque de las Tres Chimeneas in Barcelona against the imminent entry into prison of rap singer Pablo Hasel, who is accused of glorifying terrorism and attacking Spanish monarchy. On this occasion, local artist Cinta Vidal painted this powerful mural in support of the Spanish rapper:
by Cinta Vidal in Barcelona
14 more artists participated in this paint jam and, on the next day, one of them (Roc Blackblock) found out that cleaning workers from the City Council, accompanied by policemen, had covered his mural. You can read more about this story on my friend Stuart’s blog Inspiring City;
Since I would love you to forward this newsletter to your friends who share my passion for street art, graffiti, abandoned places and everything off-beat, I figured I might kick off the karma by listing in this monthly link-parade the newsletters I do love myself :) This month, I’m introducing you to Flow State, a newsletter highlighting music that is perfect for writing (or any other activity that requires you to focus);
Speaking of music, I had so much fun having this A.I. analyse my Spotify account and making fun of my music taste. Seriously, I was laughing out loud like a fool, you should try it yourself (and it’s not an actual A.I., BTW, it’s just for fun. Lots of fun, though);
You might know by now that I’m obsessed with Keith Haring, to the point that I have not one, not two, but three Keith Haring tattoos on my body :) And so you’ll understand my amusement when I found out that a fellow crazy fan (artist and songwriter Jeffrey Lewis) created this film about our idol:
I’m in love with Alice Wetterlund, both for her stand-up (here is her special My Mama Is a Human and So Am I) and her podcast (Maisel Goys, which is inspired by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - have you watched that show, BTW?);
As you know from last newsletter, another show I’m obsessed with is The Office. This article on The New Yorker attempts to explain the show’s enduring popularity;
This old Amsterdam video, which I saw at the exhibition “Waterlooplein: the neighbourhood inside out” at the Old Synagogue:

I really would like to know what you liked in the past month. Just reply to this email to send over your suggestions ;)

You somehow stumbled upon my blog and subscribed to the newsletter, but you have no idea who I am and how my blogging journey has unfolded so far? Here I share the ups and downs of my first 9 years of blogging :)

From the Archive

Abandoned Places in Israel

At the northernmost, less touristic shore of the Dead Sea, sits Kalia. This resort town was a popular destination for family vacations and its water park ‘Atraktzia’ was well-known all over Israel. Shut down in 2000, today Atraktzia is abandoned and waterless, a pale reflection of its past glory.

Keep reading on the blog

Places that have inspired my writing

Top 55 Blocal’s destinations

Our Collaborative Playlist :)

Which is to say: if you wanna share your favorite songs with fellow readers of this newsletter, you should add them here: