Exitenter is a street artist whose work can be seen all over Florence (his home town).
I discovered his work when I was in Florence early in 2020 before COVID blew the world up and you can find some photos from that time at: first Exitenter post,
below: Dancing with the ladies
below: The original was climbing the walls before the red crayon guy came along and gave him something to draw with….
below: Taking flight on a Florentine horse, a religious horse at that. A perfect companion for a night of painting.
below: And baby makes three!
below: Standing on the shoulders of giants – lifting others up towards love
below: More lifting up, more red crayon guy.
below: Fly away
below: Crossed swords
below: I wanted to make a reference to Mr. Ed here. He was a ‘talking’ horse in an American television sitcom in the first half of the 1960s. It was so long ago that it was filmed in black and white. But Mr. Ed didn’t have a television for head, his head was on TV.
below: Street people
below: Chasing balloons
below: He holds the key
below: The woman holding her heart is not the work of Exitenter, but the two little figures below her are. The woman was created by Sarcastic Collage.
below: Most of Exitenter’s drawings involve his little people, but not all…. Here is a simple jester’s hat and (graffiti symbol) crown.
below: Standing on love – he reached the summit after a long climb?
below: Another version of reaching for hearts and flying away. Where has love taken you? Where will it take you next?
below: Counting sheep – not a good time to fall asleep!
below: Breaking through the ceiling
below: Being crushed by a nasty white bar.
below: More nastiness, grabbing and squeezing this time.
below: As the sun breaks through the clouds…
below: Like weeds growing through crack in the pavement..
below: Two for one! Stop the bombs, guitar hero.
below: Yuck!
below: Holding onto the bar (faded, worn, from the original black hand)
below: Stuck
below: Hot!
below: This is one of the signs that I saw in Florence back in 2020. The policeman has faded since then as have the two little red hearts that he is looking at. A better copy of the image can be seen in altered street signs, Florence
Abraham is from Florence but his work can be seen in a number of places (along with others who have used traffic signs as their canvas). I have posted images from Madrid , and Paris in past years.
A small collection of graffiti has accumulated on Chiasso dei Baroncelli, a small street in central Florence. This is what it looked like the day I walked past….
below: This is a copy of “The Schoolgirl” by Swiss artist Albert Anker (1831-1910) with a couple of very subtle changes. The book that she’s holding now appears to be Chinese as does some of the lettering on her chalkboard.
below: The last few are black and white photos that the artist (WAP?) has then painted a part of – usually just one colour per print.
The swan maiden appears in the legends and folklore of many cultures. Like most stories that have evolved from their oral story telling roots, there are many similar versions of the same tale. Also, they are rife with symbolism and are often allegorical. The swan is a symbol of purity. Swan maidens can change between their two forms, swan and woman, often by using a cloak of feathers. In folk tales men steal and hide the cloaks so that he can have the woman. Not a pretty story, but then again, most fairy tales aren’t. (Of course, this may not have been what the artist was thinking!).
below: Bue2530 painted this mural in Florence of part sleeping woman and part swan (seen on a foggy day).
below: It looks her arm has taken on the shape of a swan. It seems to be looking at a map
below: Apples have been the symbol of sin and the fall of man since Eve persuaded Adam to eat one in the Garden of Eden. But it also a symbol of knowledge as well as immortality. It was also a poisoned apple that knocked out Snow White.
As you walk around Florence Italy, you can spot street signs that have been altered with witty additions of shapes and figures. Similar signs have been spotted in Madrid, London, and Paris. Most of them are the work of Clet Abraham but there are a few that were created by Yipi Yipi Yeah, or YYY for short. Here are a few that I saw in Florence early in January.
exitenter is a prolific graffiti artist whose art is usually centered around red hearts, love, and equality. The pieces with their stick figures are simple and direct.
below: Reaching for love
below: Black equals white. Equality
below: Swinging on a heart, in love.
below: Apart and fighting, but come together in love. Another way of saying “All you need is love”.
below: Together, hand in hand looking for love.
below: Juxtaposition of the Nativity scene with the idea of refugees.
Eyes on the Streets 