Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
What happens when beautiful street art meets a Rome ghetto?

What happens when beautiful street art meets a Rome ghetto?

Last updated on: April 23, 2015 at 10:02 am by CNA Daily News

What happens when beautiful street art meets a Rome ghetto? 2015-04-23T10:02:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rome, Italy, Apr 23, 2015 / 04:02 am (CNA).- Street artists from 10 countries around the globe gathered in Rome and put their talents to use in creating an outdoor art exhibit designed to place beauty at the center of an impoverished neighborhood.

“We are in a new paradise. In a paradise in which we have contributed with beauty and with art to make solidarity (and) closeness coexist amongst those people who society marginalizes,” Emmanuele Emanuele, president of the Roma Foundation, told CNA.

The foundation heads up the Big City Life project: a large, outdoor, art exhibit consisting of 20 wall-sized murals designed and created by 20 international artists that cover the sides of 11 buildings in Rome's poor Tor Marancia neighborhood.

Although not a true ghetto by definition, Tor Marancia is considered a periphery of Rome, and is colloquially referred to as a ghetto by Romans due to its rough appearance and the poverty of those who live there.

The open-air museum is the result of the joint-effort of the entire community – many of whom didn’t speak to each other or interact beforehand – as well as the artists and members of the foundation. Work on the portraits began Jan. 8, and concluded Feb. 27.

Open to the public 7-days a week, the exhibit has very few works that are visible from the street. In order to see the full display of murals, a person has to enter the area and walk around inside.

Beauty is one of the things man needs to most, Emanuele said, calling it “the protagonist of culture.”

“I think that beauty will help to save the world, and will also help to redeem life's sadness,” he said.

Street art, he emphasized, is an important artistic expression of beauty. “I'm convinced that street artists don't have anything more or less important than artists in a home or a gallery.”

With a history dating as far back as 1539, the Roma Foundation operates its own projects that help in designing other initiatives that aim for a big impact in five main sectors: health, scientific research, aid to the underprivileged, education and arts and culture.

The Big City Life initiative is the brainchild of the “999 Contemporary Street Art” project, which is funded by the Roma Foundation.

Stefano Antonelli, who works with 999 Contemporary and helped to pioneer the project, spoke with CNA about the specific murals that are included in the exhibit. One of the pieces he discussed was a large image of the Virgin Mary.

The only religious image among the murals, the Marian portrait was done with acrylic and spray paint by an Italian street artist called Mr. Klevra, who works for an energy company and keeps a low-profile as an artist.

It took the artist three days to paint the image, which extends nearly 33 feet wide and 49 feet tall.

Antonelli said that Klevra is an expert of Byzantine iconography, which is “absolutely strange” due to the fact the style is often unused and considered outdated. Rather than traditional styles, young artists today tend to prefer strong, “pop-oriented” colors, he said.

However, Antonelli explained that the Marian image proved to be a “quite unique” addition to the exhibit, and served as a representation of something meaningful for the Italian people.

“We are in Italy, we have a Catholic tradition we are in the city of the Pope and we thought that placing a Virgin Mary in this place could be something really powerful,” he continued.

The parish priest of Tor Marancia, Don Marco, was initially against the portrait being placed where it was, however after meeting with the artist he is set to bless the image in May, which is traditionally understood as the month of Mary.

Europe

Previous Post

April 23, 2015

Marriage march in DC expects diverse, wide-ranging support

Next Post

April 23, 2015 Galveston-Houston's vicar for clergy tapped to lead Victoria diocese

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was Moses' father's name?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abiathar Arron Apollos Amram