What makes a street art project 'good'?
Artist feature: Jofre Oliveras + more cool stuff, in your 1st-of-the-month newsletter.
Ciao,
how are you?
Here in Italy, summer has yet to end, and I could enjoy the whole thing in Sardinia at the beginning of the month. I went to Cagliari to document the first edition of Cagliari Urbanfest, which has proven to be one of those genuine street art festivals that keeps the local community in high regard.
As street art shifts from a socio-political to a marketing tool, it’s increasingly less common to find well-structured projects that enhance people's involvement and interaction with public space, and their sense of belonging to the neighborhood.
Synergies sparkled within the local community and the artist's longstanding research aren't Instagrammable. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, it's also true that you can't squeeze the work that Carol Rollo did in Cagliari with the disadvantaged kids of the local school into a snap -a snap consumed in a stream of imagery, taken out from its context, as it is typical of social networks.
The process of the artist, their ability to interpret the demands of the community, and the fact they had been putting some actual work in the streets (the gritty, spontaneous, illegal stuff, aka the honest work that makes them earn street credibility), have become just a bonus to the main asset street artists are asked to bring to the table: their audience of followers.
Luckily, not all street art festivals are like that! I've always collaborated with certain kinds of projects to give meaning to a certain type of artistic practice, and I hope to show you even more examples of “good festivals” in 2023. Stay tuned!
As for street cred, one organization that has it in spades is the Munich-based Positive Propaganda, which has been establishing socio-political art in the urban space for years and which, next week, inaugurates its own museum: 'AMuseum.'
And guess what? I'm bringing you to the opening night of Amuseum’s kick-off exhibition: Shepard Fairey's solo show "New Clear Power."
Shepard Fairey is a street art legend. From his black-and-white OBEY stickers (first appeared in the late 1980s) to the 'Hope' campaign for Obama's presidential campaign (2008), his work has increasingly become a politically motivated act, both on and off the streets. And I'm so excited to meet him in the flesh finally!
On top of that, this will be my first time in Munich, a city with a long graffiti history which I'm eager to delve into. Hit me up if you are in Munich, I'd love to have a beer with you in the Oktoberfest city.
Until next month,
Giulia
New on the Blog!
As a media partner of the urban art festival Cagliari Urbanfest, in October I went back to Sardinia to document the first edition of the festival.
Meanwhile, I’m still working through the interviews I recorded in June at Nuart Aberdeen street art festival. This month, I published the story of Spanish street artist Jofre Oliveras, whose monumental murals bring the political debate back to the public space.
I’ve updated my Cagliari Travel & Street Art Guide with more spots I discovered on my recent trip to Sardinia, not only street art locations, but also restaurants, cafés, and a cultural center inside a former tobacco factory. The title of the article says it all: Why you should visit Cagliari all year round.
New on Youtube!
At Cagliari Urbanfest, I also talked about about the work of documentation and communication of street art that I’ve been carrying on since 2011. I thought it would be nice to share this speech with you (who have been a huge part of this journey!) so I added English subtitles to the shaky video I recorded with my phone leaning precariously on the microphone stand. Hope you don’t mind the Blair Witch Project-style shot ;)
(you need to activate the English subtitles on Youtube)
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 11 years of blogging :)
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Street Dispatch - October 2022
For the Pfffestival (Stuttgart, Germany), Bezt painted "The Broken Vase," one of the Polish artist's many large-scale murals that feel like a studio painting, with an intimacy that treats still life into deeply emotional subjects. Bezt was part of the now legendary Etam Cru street art duo, which gained worldwide recognition for their dreamlike, surreal narrative.
If you want to learn more about Bezt and how the artistic collaboration with Sainer has ended (they are still good friends, though), listen to this interview on Radio Juxtapoz by my friends and festival buddies Evan Pricco and Doug Gillen:
In October, the coastal city of Margate (UK) hosted "Rise UP Residency," an urban art project intending to create 17 murals highlighting ocean conservation and biodiversity. Some of my favorite street artists were paired with environmental ONGs (in the likes of Sea Shepherd) to transform their battles into an integral landmarks for the community -thanks to the power of public art. All 17 murals are excellent, but since I have to pick one to feature in this newsletter, I'll go for this mural by Louis Masai, who happens to be also the organizer/curator of the project.
In Louis’ words:
“Within an ocean forest of local kelps and seaweeds (also known as blue carbon) is a floating plastic bottle. Inside the bottle is a trapped local spotted catshark, shocking reports have averaged 2-3 sharks killed every second. Being a local shark highlights that UK oceans are also a part of those statistics. Our partners Sea Shepherd’s sole mission is to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and marine wildlife. They work to defend all marine wildlife, from whales and dolphins to sharks and rays, to fish and krill, without exception. Growing off the plastic bottle is more seaweeds, highlighting the length of time the plastic bottle has already been in the water.”
One more mural painted supporting an environmental cause is "Oda al Agua" (Ode to water) by Manolo Mesa. The Spanish street artist painted this stunning mural in Cadiz (Spain) to raise awareness of the rescue of the Lagoon of La Janda and the estuary of the Barbate river. Manolo Mesa is one of the protagonists of the Spanish wave in contemporary muralism, a painterly style characterized by the use of brushes instead of spray cans, with the resulting photorealistic effect that gives the nod to Spanish classical masters.
Another street artist pushing the Spanish wave forward is my friend Mohamed L'Ghacham, who has just painted this stunning mural in Tbilisi (Georgia). Titled "Ilia's room," the artwork is the natural continuation of Mohamed's artistic research that transforms candid family moments into large walls in the public space. In this case, the family members are not even in the picture; nevertheless, the image feels so intimate and innermost.
If you want to learn more about the work of Mohamed L'Ghacham, check out the artist feature I recently published on the blog.
Finally, during this year's Borderline festival, the Italian brutal art trio Canemorto installed three banners at the UNESCO site of Sacromonte in Varallo, Italy. I love their raw style, especially when juxtaposed with the official context of museums and galleries -the outcome is so unsettling.
Paris’ Hotel de Ville is hosting a major retrospective exhibition on the evolution of urban art in Paris: “Capitale(s): 60 ans d’art urbain à Paris.” The exhibition is on until February 2023, I really hope I can make it to Paris in time to visit it -fingers crossed!
My friend Séverine (Altinov blog) visited the exhibition and shared a honest review aptly titled “To see or not to see the exhibition Capitale(s).”
If you visit Paris for the exhibition, here’s my Street Art Guide to Paris’ 13th district -that’s where you can find the city’s finest urban art. (My google map of Paris, like all the city maps I’ve created for you, is at the bottom of this email, or of any other newsletter).
The documentary “Prospettiva Ballarò” premiered on Netflix. The movie follows five local street artists painting in Palermo’s Ballarò neighbourhood in the summer of 2018. Besides the murals, it’s a nice insight into the Sicilian way of life. Netflix says that it is currently available in 30 countries, I hope that includes yours. If not, you can still have a glimpse at the Ballarò neighbourhood in my Palermo Travel & Street Art Guide.
Street Art Open Calls
You can now apply to paint at the first edition of Frauenfeld Street Art Festival (Switzerland), happening in June 2023. Deadline: November 1st.
Amazing as always Giulia!
Can't wait to follow you on your next trip in Munich!