The new work was unveiled on June 14th and included the participation of distinguished institutional dignitaries and delegates from the Italian Red Cross. The event highlighted Petani’s artistic contributions, illustrating his adept fusion of artistic expression and societal engagement.

Petani’s mural seamlessly blends with its environment in both color and form. The primary design, sprawling over every facet, abstractly depicts the Marche region‘s scenery. Certain areas reveal the landscape in vivid detail, complete with pastoral vistas and botanical intricacies, radiating sophistication and finesse.

The facade features Petani’s unique take on Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “Third Paradise”, re-imagining the Italian Red Cross emblem as a botanical motif. The emblem, a fusion of a ring and a red cross within a circle, is augmented by the Sulla Coronaria flower set against an abstract representation of the Marche backdrop. This interplay of Petani’s artistry with the Third Paradise concept delves into the interconnection of nature and sustainability via artistic means.

On the adjacent wall, a lifelike portrayal of foliage stretches into the expanse, and to the right, an abstract representation of the sun stands as a symbol of nature’s life force, imparting a message of peace and balance. The circle, a motif that recurs throughout Petani’s piece, with its smooth, cornerless form, communicates a sense of tranquility and balance, inviting the observer to experience a sense of inner peace.

About the artist
Born in Pinerolo, Turin, Petani earned a Masters degree in Cultural Heritage Studies from the University of Turin and wrote his M.A. thesis on Urban Art & Street Culture. The research for his thesis allowed him to connect with the art scene in Turin, which he soon became a part of, by eventually becoming an artist himself.

His work focuses on the places he visits from which he draws his inspiration. Although he hasn’t ever attended art school, he has always been interested in abstract art, becoming an important part of his ouvre and combining symbolism and abstraction. Chemical elements, plants and geometry give shape to extraordinary pieces with a direct link to the environment, the space or the territory where the murals has been made.

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The fifth edition of Tbilisi Mural Fest, Georgia’s largest street art festival, concluded in November 2023 with a diverse and colorful display of murals across the capital city and the nearby town of Kutaisi, two of Georgia’s largest cities. 

The festival, which started this year in August 2023, featured a wide array of talented local and international artists who brought to Tbilisi and Kutaisi their distinctive styles and themes. Some of the highlights included Thiago Mazza’s vibrant botanical motifs, Sasha Korban’s realistic portrait of a Georgian grandmother making dough, and Milu Correch’s touching depiction of a mother holding her children, just to mention a few.

This year’s festival counts with an incredible lineup of artists, such as TelmoMiel (Netherlands), Slim Safont & Wedo Goas (Spain), Gera (Greece), Tina Chertova and Giorgi Pablo Kalandarishvili (Georgia), Vesod (Italy), Thiago Mazza (Brazil) and Sasha Korban (Ukraine) who created stunning works reflecting on Georgia’s culture, history and identity.
In addition to this, this year, the festival introduced an exhilarating new addition: 3D video
mapping, featuring the work of Berlin-based artist Stefan Ihmig (Studio ReSorb).

According to the organizers, the main aim of the festival is to promote community engagement, cultural dialogue, and artistic exchange, as well as to beautify the urban landscape and create a lasting legacy for the city. This is probably why the Tbilisi Mural Fest has, since it was founded in 2019, become one of the most anticipated events in the region’s cultural calendar.

As expressed by Besik Maziashvili, founder and visionary behind this remarkable event:
“Tbilisi Mural Fest has always been about taking Georgia’s mural art to a new level and highlighting Georgia as a wonderful platform for mural artists from around the world. Our festival has not only fostered creativity but also amplified Tbilisi’s presence on the global stage, establishing our city as a vibrant hub for street art and creativity.”

Since its inception, Tbilisi Mural Fest has been responsible for over 60 large-scale murals that adorn the urban landscape of Georgia, transforming the cities into open-air galleries just as they did again this year.
Here are some of the murals painted:

The first one is this lovely mural By Sasha Korban featuring the image of an older woman baking and titled ‘’სიყვარულით” which translates to “with love” in Georgian. As expressed by the artist “In Georgia, this mural is referred to as “ბებოს” meaning “grandma”. However, this mural represents the very essence of love. The love that saturates our everyday lives, manifesting through the small acts of kindness from our loved ones or even their mere presence. Unfortunately, we often take this love for granted, assuming it to be the natural order of things, and we sometimes overlook the beauty of life’s simpler moments.”

Another interesting mural is Slim Safont‘s and Wedo Goas‘ mural titled “Changing the light bulb”. The huge 45 m high mural painted during the course of 11 days.
“The mural represents the change of stage of a society, the transition from a darker past to a brighter future with the new generations as protagonists and taking control. Support and teamwork to reach change. Changing the bulb is a metaphor of replacing, modifying, evolving into something better and brighter. 
Georgia is a fighting country with a past marked by many armed conflicts. Self-defense or self-protection and the capacity to maintain and preserve their own identity and tradition over the years are qualities worth taking into account when understanding the history and present of this territory.”

Milu Correch‘s mural shows the tender image of a mother embracing her two kids and has been titled “Maternity” for which the artist added the following note: “They cry because they do not see their golden blood and sword destiny. I sacrifice my history to become the regicide of tomorrow because I regret building a world that today I free from tyrants to sink in the condemnation of the misunderstood seer.”

Vesod’s magnifique mural was titled “Am1ran1” or Amirani (or Amiran) (Georgian: ამირანი), the name of a culture hero of a Georgian epic who resembles the Classical Prometheus.
In Georgian mythology, Amirani is a hero, the son of the goddess Dali and a mortal hunter. According to the Svan version, the hunter’s wife learned about her husband’s affair with Dali and killed her by cutting her hair while she was asleep. At Dali’s death, the hunter extracted from her womb a boy whom he called Amirani. The child had marks of his semi-divine origins with symbols of the Sun and the Moon on his shoulder-blades and a golden tooth.
Georgian myths describe the rise of the titan Amirani, who fights devils (ogres), challenges the gods, kidnaps Kamar (the daughter of gods), and teaches metallurgy to humans. In punishment, the gods (in some versions, Jesus Christ) chain Amirani to a cliff (or an iron pole) in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan continues to defy the gods and struggles to break the chains, an eagle ravages his liver every day, but it heals at night. Amirani’s loyal dog, meantime, licks the chain to thin it out, but every year, on Thursday or in some versions the day before Christmas, the gods send smiths to repair it. In some versions, every seven years the cave where Amirani is chained can be seen in the Caucasus (Source).

Talented local artist Giorgi Pablo Kalandarishvili’s mural is a photorealistic representation of what the area has to offer. “Tita”, as the mural was titled, shows the image of hands showing a handful of recently plowed grapes.
Fun fact: Georgia is home to more than 500 varieties of indigenous grapes—roughly one-sixth of the world’s total grape varieties, so why not to show some of their most marvelous productions?

From grapes to plants and flowers, exquisitely rendered by Brazilian artist Thiago Mazza. Mazza’s mural brings freshness and calm with its bright colours and serene composotion.

I particularly liked this another lovely mural by Sasha Korban featuring the image of what appears to be a young person of school age with a cheeky look.

Telmo Miel‘s ‘Carry On’ (გააგრძელე) mural depicts that image of a young with several sett of arms and clothes, walking towards to a light source symbolizing a bright future, while he carries his cultural roots with him.

And at last, but not least two murals of the Georgian artist Tina Chertova who painted the following two murals as part of the so-called Kutias series. Chertova uses the murals to tell stories of the cities where the murals are painted using Georgian traditional ornaments.

Follow theTbilisi Mural Fest on:
Instagram: @TbilisiMuralFest
Facebook: Tbilisi Mural Fest

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The idea behind the project was to create a new line of heritage value in five rural towns in Osona through public art for which they invited a series of local and international artists like Zoer, Ana Barriga, Satone, Nano4814, Luogo Comune, Isaac Cordal, Rosh, Alberto Montes, Jan Vallverdú, Marta Lapeña, Eloise Gillow. Others, like Twee Muizen, Sergi Bastida and Wedo Goas were selected through an open call or through participatory processes (more like comunity murals) like the case of Daniel Muñoz, Chu Doma, Alessia Innocenti, Mateu Targa and Zosen.

The murals were created in five different villages – Prats de Lluçanès, Manlleu, Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Sant Bartomeu del Grau and Alpens.

Photo by: Monika Pufflerova & Fer Alcalá

For more information:
B-Murals:
Web: https://www.bmurals.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b.murals/
Email: comunicacio@bmurals.com
Osona Artimur:
Web: https://osonaturisme.cat/artimur/

PRESS CONTACT
Laura Colomé: +34 655273167 / foto.lauracolome@gmail.com
Fer Alcalá: +34 657590083 / fernandoalcalalosa@gmail.com

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There are also some other upstanding walls, like Fintan Magee‘s who, as usual, based his work on local people and costumes. 

“When I came to Georgia, I took photos of people. This is a portrait of a woman, behind a mirror with her own child, holding a Georgian historical artifact. This shows the importance of culture and transmission from generation to generation. I painted with the effect of tilted glass, I wanted the person in the painting to be a universal person, because it can be anyone, that’s why it remains a little abstract. This wall was a great challenge for me. I have never done such a complex, detailed wall of this size before.” 

Also as usual, VESOD painted a breathtaking mural called “Medea”. The work is dedicated to the myth of Medea and can be found in the historical Sololaki district.
“The painting is inspired by the figure of Medea and her myth which is said to be set in Georgia. The scene portrays the moment in which she prepares the potion for Jason. Compared to the painting by John William Waterhouse from which she draws inspiration is Medea, placed in a predominant position, the main figure, who, in an almost maternal way, provides the Greek hero with the opportunity to realize his ambition.” – Vesod

ARTEZ decided to focus on growth, calling his mural just that, “Growth”.As explained by the artist:
“On this wall I have decided to play with repetition and scale in order to create a narrative about growth. Taking care of things together is important as it will strengthen the bonds with people that are close to us. Trust the seeds you are planting and you will grow inside out!” – ARTEZ
David Machavariani collaborated with Irakli Kadeishvili dedicating their mural to the famous medieval poet Shota Rustaveli with focus on king Rostevan and his female heir Tinatin, echoing the gender equality theme.  Machavariani created the sketch based on the poem “The Night in the Panter’s skin” while Kadeishvili transferred his idea to the wall. Here is the result:
Luis Gomez de Teran created also an stunning mural portraying a woman with a melancholic look. In his statement, the artist wrote:
 
“Lies: false statements made with deliberate intention to deceive, an intentional untruth, imposture.
Sounds pretty bad, and yet lying is one of the most recurrent acts in human interactions.
How often do I lie? If I think about it, the honest conclusion is that I lie a lot, probably on a daily basis.
Honesty: a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes, including being trustworthy, loyal and fair. Honesty is the best policy” – (Edwin Sandy).

Gomez de Teran also created an installation on an abandoned water tank titled “Unauthorized installation in an abandoned spaceship – Tbilisi, Georgia – Autumn 3022” for which he wrote:

“What’s left of my atoms
how much of me survived,
since the day I collided
to this long sleepless night

Take me away from this oxygen
like water for iron, I slowly realised,
one more breath, one more drop
a red soul never dries.

Bring me back to my planet
where this sun doesn’t shine.
On your wrecked silver spaceship,
can you still make it fly?

Bring me back to my star
gone since a thousand years.
You keep watching a light
that has long disappeared.”  

Mohamed l’Ghacham titled his mural Ilia’s room, depicting the living room of the famous Georgian thinker and author Ilia Chavchavadze  a Georgian public figure, journalist, publisher, writer and poet who spearheaded the revival of Georgian nationalism during the second half of the 19th century and ensured the survival of the Georgian language, literature, and culture during the last decades of Tsarist rule. He is Georgia’s “most universally revered hero” and is regarded as the “Father of the Nation.”

KERA and Tina Chertova went for two blue creations. KERA in his characteristic abstract approach while Chertov’s mural draws inspiration from Georgian traditional ornaments composing a  Georgian blue tablecloth like patterns that she spread on the wall.  

Photo credits by @tbilisimuralfest

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A few weeks ago Italian muralist Fabio Petani, partnered with Luogo Comune, another illustrator and muralist currently based in Bologna for the ToNite Project in Turin.

The project is funded by Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), an initiative of the European Union that provides urban areas throughout Europe with resources to test new and unproven solutions to address urban challenges.

The mural created by Petani and Comune was titled CHITINA & PRUNUS CERASUS and intends to give shape to the concept of ecosystem, that is, the interaction between plants, insects and landscape.

Although the artists have their own unique artistic style, they manage to work a composition that reflects the synergy in a natural ecosystem where everything have its place and balance, almost as if it was structured by a golden ratio or “divina proportione” (Divine Proportion).
Each set of elements has been placed next to each other in order to form some kind of puzzle, giving shape to segments of natural living things that interconnect and juxtapose each other as necessary and reciprocal otherness.

Despite the fact that both artists have managed to create a clearly balanced and smooth composition, their own peculiar styles are still very much recognizable. Luogo Comune’s flat colour palette, square like compositions and marked symbolism, meet the equally strong symbolist imagery of Petani but with a more delicate palette and his characteristic vigorous geometric elements, which activates the composition through phytomorphic figures. You can judge by yourself and don’t forget to check out the artists websites!

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Fort Lauderdale is known for its extensive network of canals connected to the Atlantic Ocean. Running and rippling water play a major role in the design where the movement in the composition connects ground and sky. The blue of the water at the bottom is intersected by white and orange lines, the former reproducing the trails of lather produced by waves, the second representing sun reflections on the sea. The particular shade of orange is inspired by the colour of the sunset in Broward County which is also the one of Port Everglade logos.

A collection of shapes typical for a port area or for the deck of a ship can be seen in the background, outlining the new silhouette of the façade until the building mingles with the sky, losing its structural limits. The shadows make the objects look like they are floating on a suspended in space, opening the existing structure to new planes and deceiving the observer’s perspective by providing a new and indefinable depth to the composition. A good example is how Peeta visually erases the corner of the building giving the property another look and dimension.

About the Artist
Manuel Di Rita, also known as Peeta, is a graffiti artist since 1993 currently living in Venice. He is a member of the EAD crew (Padova, Italy), FX and RWK crews (New York City) and has participated, over the years, in festivals and art shows all over the world. His work explores the potential of sculptural lettering and anamorphism, both in painting and in sculpture.

Images by B4flight Films

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A few weeks ago 9 internationally renowned mural artist gathered in the Georgian city of Tbilisi invited to participate in the 3rd edition of the Tbilisi mural festival.

During the last three years 33 murals has been created in the framework of the festival since 2019, creating an open exhibition at different locations and making Georgia an important hub for muralism where you can find Large-scale murals artists such as Innerfields, Case Maclaim, Artez, INO, and Georgian artists like Dante, Giorgi Maskharashvili, V45, Irakli Kadeishvili and Zviad Esartia.

This year’s line  counts with MONKEYBIRD (France), FAITH47 (South Africa), JDL (Holland), APHE (Oliver Hollatz) and NOAH (Noah Kauertz) (Germany), MAZZA (Brazil), 1010 (Germany), KADE 90 (Georgia), and DAVID SAMKHARADZE (Georgia), adding 9 new murals to Tbilisis’s open air museum.

According to the organisers, the idea behind their work is to transform Tbilisi into a Street Art metropole. When it comes to the idea behind this year’s festival, it is still a bit unclear for me what underlying concept is, but the festival resulted in a group of appealing murals. Here are some of them:

Solar Logos I, Tbilisi, Georgia, 2021 As humans our ancient relationship with the sun lends itself to deification. Sun-worship has been with us since pagan antiquity, among the Persians, Indians, Greeks, Mayans and other ancient cultures. We hold a deep rooted, innate understanding that the beams and brilliance, our central, inner spiritual Sun, are mirrored […] – Faith47

“This is a tribute mural to all the broken and beautiful people I have met in the past year. One by one, they showed me their vulnerability. I notice people are often ashamed of their vulnerability, while I see the beauty in it. This mural is a reminder to embrace yourself (and your fragility), even though, it does not seem natural in, for instance, a depression. These people are the most admirable people that I have met in my life, including their trauma.” – JDL

Images by Keti Maziashvili & Ana Kacheishvili

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In this work the artist wanted to explore new tools such as the holographic fabrics because of the weightlessness they seem to provide. The work, a 15-metre high screen made from this fabric was installed in one of Madrid’s narrowest streets creating an immersive and almost magic experience for passerby.

About LUZMADRID
LuzMadrid is the first International Festival of Light to be held in the city of Madrid, currently celebrating its 1st edition.
It forms part of the renowned network of Festivals of Light being held in cities across the European Union: Lyon, Frankfurt, Brussels, Lisbon, Tallinn, Eindhoven, Turin, etc. Madrid thus joins a cultural tradition which began in the mid-1990s, where light plays a central role and the evenings are transformed into glittering celebrations of art and creativity.

Images courtesy of SpY.

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The way to this final image wasn’t without problems. Already in the early stages of the painting process, the artist were approached by local authorities who asked them to modify the fysionomi of the man, who was originally portrayed as more fragile than he is today. 
The duo agreed. But it didnt took long before they to change the hatta’s color, which the duo had started painting in a red and white pattern. The reason given by the organisers is that these colurs can be a loaded topic; to some people, a red and white hatta can sometimes be associated with Palestinian Marxists, a sore spot for some parties, so the duo ended painting a white headgear.

“So much outrage was caused from only certain colours and paint strokes” […] “It highlighted the fear of artistic expression and its power to even slightly loosen the grip of control that the authority has. This cultural regulation ends up creating a linear and uncontested image of the culture in Jordan. A shortsighted tribal, male dominated and conservative culture” explains Mitwally. 

In their manifesto, Persona explicitly states their artistic mission to “promote cross border exchange through creative interventions,” and their understanding that “Our actions are artistic because we understand that art is a universal language.” Not only did their actual act of creation spur precisely the dialogue they’re aiming for, but its results have left a beautiful monument, a soft, warm, painterly mural of the human spirit present in the capitol city of this historic nation.

Images of the work courtesy of the organisers.

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DIOSSIDO DI CARBONIO & CALATHEA

According to the organisers, the StreetArtBall (SAB) project is an urban regenerating program intended to promote outdoor activities and bring people outside again after a long year indoors.
With this in mind, and the support of the Bergamasca Community Foundation, they decided to invite some of the best Italian street artist to cover five different playgrounds, basketball courts, with works of art.
One of these invited artists is precisely Fabio Petani, who painted one of his magnificent compositions featuring a Calathea Makoyana, a natural air purifier that absorbs harmful substances and transforms them into pure oxygen.
The idea behind the floor piece came to him after reflecting on the how the pandemic has influenced the lives of thousands of people worldwide, but specially around Bergamo, a city harshly devastated during the last year. Renewal and rebirth seem to be key concepts behind, not only this particular piece, but also the SAB project’s intentions.

“We must be the plant that struggles to transmit oxygen and positive stimuli in such a difficult time.” – Fabio Petani.

According to the artist, he uses his botanical visual language to incentive positive thinking among people and make them believe that there is hope, that things will improve and that there is up to them to make an effort and make it happen.

The piece took four and a half days to complete with the great help of three local volunteers (Sara, Thomas and Fabrizio).
Here a few images of the final work and the usual message; It will be ok. In the end. Or like our Prime minister said the other day; “there is light in at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is just damn long”.

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