“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place”
-Bansky
“Some people want to make the world a better place. I just wanna make the world a better-looking place. If you don't like it, you can paint over it!”
Spray cans, inspiration, imagination and creativity, these are the necessary elements to be a street artist. From the very beginning, man has always tried to express himself through art: just think about the caves where primitives painted their hunting scenes or to many artists who have decorated their cities, later in years. One of the most representative artists of this kind of art is certainly Bansky, that with his works, has given a touch of originality to different cities around the world such as London, New York, Bristol or Paris. His graffitis are made with the stencil technique: the artist sprays the paint over the cutter, giving birth to different figures.
In Italy there are many cities where street art has left its mark too, for example Bologna, Rome or Milan where this type of art started to develop in the 80’s when people wanted to express their opinion about society or politics.
Padua is one of the Italian cities which can boast many graffitis around its territory: walls, underpasses, bridges or disused buildings.
Different artists perform on the Paduan scene. Each one of them has his own style, actually in the “paintings” there is like a signature made of colors.
Kenny Random is maybe the most mysterious of them. He gives his works to Padua when the city is sleeping. He paints the walls or buildings in the historical centre and then on Facebook he gives some hints to his fans who have to find his new work. In Kenny Random’s graffitis there is always a black character who sometimes kisses a girl, plays a saxophone from which butterflies escape or watches red hearts or flowers windblown. His style is recognizable due to this black figure who sometimes, not always, is surrounded by a lot of colors, such as in case of the man who paints a
rainbow or the man who is running away from a dog.
“I'd been painting rats for three years before someone said "that's a clever anagram of art”
-Bansky
“If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream.”
-Rene Magritte
Carolina Blanco, better known as Carolì, is an Argentinian street artist who came to Italy with her family when she was a little girl. She works in the territory of Padua, giving colors to underpasses, places that most of the time can be scary because of their weak light or their naked walls.
Through the characters she paints, she wants to express her opinion about different social themes, such as racism or gender inequality. Her works are extremely colored and they give joy to the “viewer” who occurs in front of them. Most of the times her characters are strong women who are not afraid to express their feelings and show their personalities.
“Writing graffiti is about the most honest way you can be an artist. It takes no money to do it, you don't need an education to understand it and there's no admission fee”
-Bansky
Tony Gallo is a street artist who decorates the city of Padua in a very original way. He paints characters who are the result of mixing men and animals, a strange trick of nature. When the viewer looks at these figures, it is possible that he feels being watched because it’s like these strange creatures are saying something without actually saying anything. This effect is given by the ability of Tony Gallo who represents “the sound of silence” but also a generation who grows with dreams and expectations towards future.
Alessio B is another street artist who colors Padua with his graffitis. He uses different techniques such as for example collage and he takes inspiration from pop art to realize his works. Very often Alessio B’s works deteriorate so it may seem that they don’t last long; actually it can be the opposite, because the deterioration gives them an extra touch of originality and uniqueness.
“People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish. But that's only if it's done properly”
-Bansky
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