STREET ART IN CATANIA, SIRACUSA AND RAGUSA

In the last few years, the perception of this art form has changed. Institutions and municipalities are demanding these works. They’ve started financing prizes and competitions to realise urban regenerations projects.

Many cities have understood the advantage of hosting works and artists. One of the main urban art promoters is the city of Catania. The town is our first stage in this street art tour.

In Catania, the works are located in various city areas, even very far apart. Some are where redevelopment is most needed, such as the San Teodoro field and the suburban district of Librino. The works you can see in these two locations are created by various internationally renowned artists such as Nemo’s, Collettivo Fx, the Potato Eaters, Bloom, Gue, Res Publica Temporanea, Pao and Anc, Janìe.

Another example is in the city centre, in the famous Ra fera or luni district. It is the Ritmo project. A series of initiatives have been organised thanks to the help of various associations. Since 2010, many artists have arrived in the city, creating a real open-air museum with works by 108, Bartocci, El tono, Microbo, 2501, Gue and many others. The San Berillo district, also in the city centre, has been redeveloped thanks to the works of the artists of Res Publica Temporanea, Poki and Spanky, Gue and Luprete.

The second stop on our tour in the territories of south-eastern urban art is Floridia (SR). In 2017, the Impulsi Urbani project led several cultural events in the city. These included a photo exhibition, theatre and music workshops, sports and street art. Impulsi Urbani activity’s purpose was to regenerate the historical centre and give a new life to abandoned places. In 2018, thanks to the contemporary art exhibition “Abstracta“, a large mural entitled “Archetype – Light Blue” was created. The work is by Ligama, a young artist from Caltagirone.

Let’s head for the island of Ortigia (Syracuse). The world-famous artist Alicé has created some valuable small works. The “Istinto naturale” association financed the project, and today the artworks are on display in Via Roma and Via Landolina. They are on some former advertising panels provided by the municipal administration.

Still in the province of Syracuse, heading south, we stop off at Rosolini. It is where “Street Art Rosolini” was born in 2019. Throughout a 3-day festival, 12 artists created works in the town centre. The artists painted shutters and walls, giving life and colour to the historic centre and underlining the importance of repopulating the town’s meeting places.

We now head northwest and arrive in the town of Ragusa. It is where the famous ‘Festiwall‘ takes place (”we couldn’t help but end our itinerary here”). The event is an annual festival of public art. Throughout five editions, the festival has attracted many artists into the city, promoting an exceptional process of urban regeneration. The artworks are scattered around the city and have been created by Italian artists such as Agostino Iacurci, Gue, Luca Font and international artists such as Evoca1, Fintan Magee, SatOne, Hyuro, Guido Van Helten, Zoer.