Archaeologists Discover an Extraordinary 2,100-Year-Old Mosaic Near the Colosseum
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January 3, 2024
Kate Mothes More
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- in Street Art
“Melody of the Soul” by Natalia Rak in Rome, Italy
Natalia Rak has created large-scale paintings since 2011, in the form of beautiful murals, commissioned from around the world. She has been focusing on female-centric imagery while using a rich and glowing palette, giving a breath of fresh air to the street art scene she is part of.In 2012 she received a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts of Łódz, where she further explored Art through its history, as well as discovering the work of classic and modern illustrators. In studying Natalia’s work you can recognize the influences from folklore tradition and fairy tales. The colours highlight the spiritual strength of these tales, giving them a surreal touch.Her art has been exhibited throughout Europe in cities such as Dusseldorf (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), and Strasbourg (France). Also, she has been featured in many group shows from all over the world and has participated in some of the most prestigious street art events, such as POW! WOW! (USA), Art Scape (Sweden), Mural Festival in Montreal (Canada), Blink(USA), Memorie Urbane (Italy). Her standout work for the Folk on the Street festival in Bialystok “Legend of the Giants” was included in the series “Sztuka Ulicy – Street Art” issued by the Polish Post.Natalia excels in a variety of media, from paper and canvas to brick and concrete, building a vast body of work filled with complex symbolism, different sort of allegories and profound love for Nature, that helps the observer to evade reality.A mural was made between the alleys of Rome, for the Street Art For Rights festival. The inspiration came from Agenda 2030-collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Rak’s artwork was inspired by the 15th one- “Life of land”. Focusing on managing forests sustainably, successfully fighting desertification and stopping biodiversity loss and driven by the extreme necessity for human beings to re-establish a deep connection with Nature.Take a look at more images below and check back with us soon for more updates. More
- in Street Art
Artist Retrospective: Blu
BLU is a talented street artist from Bologna, Italy. He has been active in street style scene since 1999. Blu began painting graffiti with spray paint. He quickly gained recognition and fame by painting a graffiti series in the suburbs of Bologna. When he started painting walls he worked with spray paint, but as his appetite for beautifying industrial sites grew, so did his tools.Over the next few years into the early 2000s, Blu’s graffiti style transformed thanks to his growing use of house paint. He makes massive murals all over the world. In doing what he loves, BLU tries as much as possible, to emphasize the message he’s sending. Art is important, not recognition.A name is nothing in comparison to the artistic value of a painted wall. Many of his murals were never signed, many of them were destroyed by the artist himself, but his integrity is incorruptible. He believes in freedom of information and stands firmly on his system of open source belief“La Pandemia” in Campobasso, Italy, 2020“La Pandemia” depicts a dystopian scenario of giant pandas that invade a city and destroy everything. It is located on the façade of the Alphaville cinema. “La Pandemia” was made in collaboration with Draw The Line 2020, a street art festival in Italy organized by Malatesta Associati.Mural in Quarticciolo, Rome, 2019Mural in La Punta, Valencia, Spain, 2018La Punta is a pedestrian garden located in the south of the city of Valencia, where, for more than 15 years, the port of Valencia sealed one of the darkest chapters in the history of the destruction of the Valencia district with the deportation of a hundred families, depriving them of their way of life and sweeping through fields and houses, to give the port an enormous development land.The Italian artist brought to life another of his signature artworks to life. The piece shows containers being built as a pyramid by local families from La Punta. Another striking work by Blu which shows the power of Urban Art.“No TAV” in Susa, Italy, 2016“La Cuccagna” in Campobasso, Italy, 2017“La Cuccagna”, this title of the work shows Blu creating one of his personal criticism of our society and our modern life system. BLU proposes a strong representation of the systems that move modern society which are triggering an incredible narrative sequence, full of problems and different issues hidden within every layer.Mural in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2016Mural in Via Del Porto Fluviale, Rome, Italy, 2014The Italian artist painted this largest and one of his most complex pieces with this majestic mural showing a series of heads. As usual with the Italian artist, the piece is filled with a million of details and tiny characters which can only be appreciated in the flesh.Mural in Mexico, 2015Mural in Casa Dei Pazzi in Rome, Italy, 2015Mural in Porto Torres, Italy, 2016The mural on Porto Torres shows a large head breaking away as a puzzle and morphing into human forms. The pieces are falling back into place which gives a glimpse of hope with a potential unity that can be achieved for the human race.“A House For Everyone” in Bergamo, Italy, 2016For more updates on the talented Italian artist, make sure to check out and follow our #BLU page! More
- in Street Art
“Botanica Resistente” by ETNIK in Rome, Italy
Recently, the urban artist ETNIK, flanked by Mirko Pierri, curator of urban art for the a.DNA association, was finally able to start transforming the facade of the Liceo Scientifico Statale Francesco D’Assisi, between via Castore Durante e Viale Palmiro Togliatti, in Rome. The work, entitled “Botanica Resistente” was created in the days around April 25th, the “Liberation Day” in Italy, which commemorates the end of the Nazi’s occupation and the liberation from Fascism.The title refers to the original name of Viale Palmiro Togliatti which, until about 1979, was known as Viale della Botanica. A direct reference, therefore, to the toponymy that characterizes the whole district of Centocelle with its streets named after plants, trees, and flowers. Etnik’s work is undoubtedly based on the irremediable antithesis between architecture and nature: in the mural concrete blocks, asphalt and artificial works succumb to natural elements, giving life to a slow but gradual reconquest of spaces taken from nature. But “Botanica Resistente” has multiple readings.Those plants and flowers represented by the Italian urban artist, known and respected all over the world, also want to symbolize the ability to react of the inhabitants of Centocelle after the fires at La Pecora Elettrica, at the Baraka Bistrot, and other local shops in 2019. The symbolism used is a tribute to those who take action in their territories in defense of the common space for the dissemination of culture, inclusion, and social interaction. A feeling that is also the engine of the Uno, nessuno, Centocelle project. The light that is rekindled, the letters that thanks to the interaction come back to compose a collective story, culture as a tool.After five days of work in progress, the work is finished. Some hidden details are indirect references, such as the blank pages of suspended books. They are small dedications wanted by the artist, which can only be grasped by those who have lived in those places. “I wanted to symbolize a rebirth – explained Etnik – a breach in the concrete as a glimmer of possibilities to overcome this long dark period. The blank pages that I inserted in detail of the mural are still to be written – he concluded – a way to entice to leave negative events behind to move forward and write a better story.”The work is representative of familiar urban corners, on the border, where between asphalt and concrete, spontaneous plants are in a constant struggle for survival. “Living the streets to fight the social isolation and the speculative and criminal control of the neighborhood is necessary”, explained Mirko Pierri of a.DNA Project. “A similar work can and must support the inhabitants of the place that hosts it because telling about their actions enhances their constancy – he outlined – which is fundamental for the defense and survival of the identity of a territory”Check out below for more photos of “Botanica Resistente”. More
