Residents of Rome’s east side are in for a real treat – Italian artist, Blu, well-known for his epic-sized and politically charged murals, has been busy painting a brand new wall in the city’s Quarticciolo neighborhood. His subjects? Statues of the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s David.
Blu’s latest work depicts a modern day Venus with an obvious shopping addiction and a poodle at her feet, and a chubby version of David, who is seen sporting gold sneakers and a Rolex. He is, of course, taking a selfie with a gold iPhone (OK, maybe it’s an Android but I’m partial to Apple so…). The mural is a provocative one; to me, it’s a commentary on consumerism and boldly suggests that we live superficial lives, more focused on what we have, than who we are (and what we contribute to society).
Blu is painting this mural on the façade of a 6-story building in the Quarticciolo suburb of Rome. The building used to be Quarticciolo’s police headquarters, but for the last twenty years, it’s been illegally occupied by thirty families – the building has become Blu’s new urban canvas. One of Quarticciolo’s former police chiefs says she doesn’t know how Blu came to be there: “One day I found him hanging on climbing ropes, intent on painting. The artist started the mural 3 months ago and is expected [to finish] in October. We are very happy – it’s really a beautiful work.”
The artist has painted other ‘occupied’ buildings in Rome’s Ostiense and San Basilio neighborhoods, where one of his murals depicting ‘police pigs’ was almost immediately censored (whitewashed) after it went up in 2014. Both buildings are now vacated.
Blu researches the spaces where he intends to paint because he wants to know about and understand the residents’ stories. Social criticism, anti-globalization and human rights are common themes in his work – the artist is focused on creating work that is meaningful, and that matters.
