The last mural painted by Zed1 for The Veregra Street Festival in Montegranaro, Italy is a wonderful showcase of the Italian street-artist’s ability to bring a fairy-tale to life. Titled “Un viaggio per le stelle”, a trip around the stars, it features animated characters and imaginative creatures that tells a compelling story through artwork that’s far from simple drawings.
About the Mural
Based on the architectural structure of the movie theatre “La Perla” in Empoli, Zed1 decided to divide the fable into four separated scenes, each one related to a specific area of the theatre. Cleverly designed to be read from left to right, ending on the highest set of the theatre he created a multidimensional effect for the viewer of various piles of boxes that could be abandoned in a broom closet or an old basement.
The first part of the artwork is titled “Quei tesori nascosti in cantina”, hidden treasures found in a basement. We find boxes and accumulated objects inside a basement where a girl is standing. On the left side, we see a nice dress and a pair of ballerina shoes. More to the right, there’s a telescope and a book entitled “Una vita da danzare”, a life to be danced away. The young girl holds the book and, metaphorically, finds her passion for dancing through the discovery of these objects.
The second part, “La visione di un sogno”, a dream’s vision presents her desire for success. She looks at the stars with her telescope, fantasizing to become a well-known dancer but finds herself in a weird position; she’s already wearing her new ballerina outfit, while she still has her old clothes on, from which she hasn’t yet separated.
Her eagerness to become a ballerina is also a delightful segway to the third part of the tale, “Sfiorando il cielo”, lightly touching the sky where the girl has obtained what she was dreaming; depicted by an image of her on a pile of boxes, some of which she found in the old basement. Using them to climb up the sky to reach the stars, it teaches us about the importance of being able to restructure our lives in order to reach and achieve the goals that we desire.
The moral of the story is illustrated in the last part of the tale called “Smarrirsi tra le stelle”, getting lost around the stars. The young dancer is surrounded by a clear sky with stars that are burying her body and her face. Even though success has come, she is unable to breathe. By doing so, Zed1 has represented the dark side of success which has the ability to make us lose track of our paths if not handled properly. The lesson teaches us that by dedicating our lives to the realization of our dreams and desires, it is important to work hard but also remain grounded, finding a balance that doesn’t make those dreams become our failures.
About the Artist
Marco Burresi, a.k.a Zed1 is an Italian street artist from Florence, Tuscany that began painting painting walls about 20 years ago. Best known for his murals of egg headed humans and imaginative creatures he’s traveled all over the world to paint murals and experiment with new techniques.
His artworks are often portrayed as stories that help the viewer appreciate not only the art itself but also the meaning behind it. All of his creations carry a message for society and themes that allow us all to reflect and learn.
