Stickers, paste-ups and posters seen around Naples.
below: Love letters pasted to the wall, each decorated with a little red or pink heart. So many words and expressions such as – “Dillo con volo fiori” (Say it with flying flowers), “Non ti ho detto mai quello. Che me fai.” (I never told you that, what are you doing to me?)
below: “Yes I know My Way” by Renzo Mezzetti on the right and a blue woman smelling a blue flower on the left.
below: Someone’s not happy ….
below: On the left is an old cyop & kaf face – there are a lot of paintings by Cyop & Kaf and I blogged about them previously (Cyop & Kaf in Naples)
below: With a red heart in its mouth, by RNZ aka Zenro. Also, in the top left corner, the faceless photographer, “the photographer all over”, this is mrbt62
below: Here stands Viracocha, the supreme creator deity in pre-Incan Andean mythology.
below: Surrealism? Or just a bizarre imagination?
below: Completely covered
below: Words around a door
Lady, [words behind air conditioner] .. veramente stassera in connanti niente appena arrivate bendalevi visivede which google translate says in English, “Actually tonight in cash nothing as soon as you arrive blindfolded you will see”.
signora siete 9 uasi e lo sarete senon portate stassa….. The bottom part is illegible so the fact that google translate says the first part means, “Madam, you are almost 9 and you will be if you don’t bring this” is also meaningless….Maybe the picture of the man with a gun to his head is part of it all!
below: Playing card graffiti by Francesco Di Martino, and a melting globe head by Lumen.
below: Trallalla’s drawing of a Bishop wearing a pirate hat and eye patch.
below: Trallalla is also responsible for the “Save the Mermaids” paste-ups.
below: Another heavy (pregnant?) mermaid, this time with drawings that look like they have been done by children.
Stramurales curated by the Stornara Life association. Since I visited the city in February 2024, many more murals have been painted on Stornara’s walls. Even though this is my eighth blog post showing Stornara murals, there are many that you will have to go to see for yourself! …. or of course you could check out the Stornara Life website.
below: Graffmatt painted this child with a leaf among the bags of trash, all in blues. It’s title in “Desperate World”
below: “No Looking Back” by Zabou. In case you can’t see it, the title of the book is, “Unione Europea, Repubblica Italiana”
below: Liberami da tutto il male (= Deliver me from all evil) by Brazilian artist Alex Senna; his murals are almost always in shades of gray.
below: “Love overcomes death”, by JDL (aka Judith de Leeuw). The same woman in three different, but similar, positions.
below: Only the flower has color.
below: Caratoes painted this portrait, titled “La Ragazza Meccanica”. This translates to The Mechanical Girl. A machine, or robot, with a mask to make her look human.
below: Both of these pieces are by No Chance (or No Chance Crew), Mona Lisa with her Anonymous mask, and the elderly couple in “Eternal Love”
below: Someone has left a drink for Ghost
below: Zip is the artist who created this little piece – a barefoot girl and a teddy bear.
below; A plain brick wall has been transformed – this mural by Vesod looks so real! The 3-D effect is so well done!
below: A field of red poppies and a blue head scarf in another Zabou mural, “Girl Lying Among the Poppies”
below: “Positive Light” by Alaniz – a mural with bats and a white dove that seems to glow.
below: Your dream, dreaming as you drive, by Antonio Giuliani – but the needed context is that this was painted in August 2020 so she is dreaming of freedom after the COVID lockdowns of 2020.
below: A bit creepy, this skeleton is trying to kiss the girl (or it could be the other way around?). It was a collaboration between Diamond and Solo (Flavio) and is titled “Sommernacht” which is German for Summer Night.
below: “It’s Too Late for Revolution” by Lucione Samoa
below: “One of my Friend” (with a pug looking on), by Artez
below: This mural is a collaboration between Zabou and Bifido.
below: Another piece by No Chance; this one is called “Giovanna Darkness”.
below: The first of at least two Dale Grimshaw paintings in Stornara is this one in blue.
below: The second Dale Grimshaw portrait is also a male, but this time it is a Papuasian holy man.
below: “Two Ancient Faces”, one male and one female combined, in a mural by Aero.
below: A little mouse with a magic wand stands beside a bright pink pair of running shoes, or sneakers, with matching pink laces. This was painted by Aurora Agrestini.
below: The monkey, or ape, is a mural by Smok with a great title, “OMG Humans”.
below: “The White Tiger” by Martina Pesce.
below: Pooh Bear but oh! This is not the Winnie the Pooh you thought you knew. This Winnie, painted by Kris Rizek, seems to be getting ready to be up to no good! A gas mask? cans of spray paint? and what’s in that green bottle?
below: Celebrating an event from 16 April 1519.
“Noi Giovanna e Carlo … da parte del magnifico Signore Paolo Antonio Puderico nobile napoletana fedele nostro diletto… nel presente ha, tiene e possiede … il feudo della Stornara inabitato … per se suoi eredi e successori .. per legittima successione in perpetuo con tutti i suoi diretti entrate e ragioni ….confermiamo, accettiamo, omdoghiamo, lodiamo e ratifichiamo… Anno sedicesimo Navarra quinto Aragonese delle due Sicile e Gerusalemme… Dato nella citta di Barcellona il 16 aprile anna dalla nativita di nostro Signore 1519. “ translation: We, Giovanna and Carlo… on behalf of the magnificent Lord Paolo Antonio Puderico, a Neapolitan nobleman, our faithful beloved… currently has, holds and possesses… the uninhabited fiefdom of Stornara… for himself, his heirs and successors… by legitimate succession in perpetuity with all its direct income and rights…we confirm, accept, commend, praise and ratify… Sixteenth year Navarre, fifth Aragonese of the two Sicilies and Jerusalem… Given in the city of Barcelona on the 16th of April after the birth of our Lord 1519
below: Stornara Life. As I walked around the town, a local woman who spoke no English (and I can’t speak much Italian) made sure that I understood that it was the people at Stornara Life who brought the artists and their work to Stornara.
below: The last mural for this post is “The Crowd of Fools” painted by Gods in Love. It covers two sides of a building. I don’t have a photo of the whole mural – instead I will leave you with a few bits and pieces.
Conservano is a town in the Puglia region of Italy where there was once a large, high, blank, curved wall. The wall exists because of the hilly geography of the region. On top of the hill is a busy street with many bus stops; at the bottom is a large parking lot.
In the spring of 2022, a project was launched, “A Talk with the City” to paint the wall. Public artist, Eltono, painted the top part in colorful geometric shapes and the bottom part in large arches that reflect the many architectural arches seen in this city. The “inside” of each arch was left white so that other artists could add their contributions. A description of this process is on Eltono’s website.
below: Two night time images. A yellow crescent moon and a painting by Davide Curci of the Earth being held in someone’s hand.
below: Fire and water, or fire and ice, on either side of a very large green eye.
below: On a pole in front of the wall, a cute little drawing of a snail and a poem in Italian. Non Credo Nell’Amor (I don’t believe in love). Transcription of the poem is given below .
e mi raccomando ricordati di guardare sempre tutto i tuoi occhi devono essere ovunque. Sarai sguardo di coccinella di mosca di virus. Non perderti in chiacchiere e annota tutto, figlio mio userai cio che hai visto contro di me.
A very rough translation: and please remember to always look at everything your eyes must be everywhere. You will be ladybug-eyed of flies of viruses. Don’t waste time talking and write everything down, my son you will use what you saw against me.
….. looking for (and finding!) graffiti and interesting bits of street art.
There were a few pieces by artist Blub who has used well known faces of famous figures or images from art history and placed them underwater wearing a diving mask. These are part of his series, “L’Arte Sa Nuotare” (underwater art)
below: Little angel
below: The Madonna. In some versions she is with baby Jesus who has been cut out of this image (as you can see the bubbles floating upward from his mask even though he is not in this picture)
Taken from Gustav Klimt’s, “The Kiss”, the kissing couple are now underwater too.
Another artist with a presence in Bari is LeDieSis and her/their Superwomen series
below: Barbie’s been shopping. She’s winking at you.
below: Pink and purple and another wink. Does she realize that someone is looking over her shoulder?
below: Another winking superwoman. I suspect that the official looking notice has been taped over her Superman symbol.
below: The Virgin Mary is also in Bari, also winking, as she carries her baby daughter
below: Frida Kahlo
below: “Gals are as strong as hell” by unknown artist.
Mopsi, by so schoen immer wieder, can be seen in many European cities including Bari. He (she?) usually has something to say.
below: Equality has no gender. The black scrawl covers the word “no” which can totally change the message if you’re not looking closely.
below: And the other has flowing red hair and colourful wings.
There were also Gu Tang Clan posters on the walls in Bari.
Zooming in to highlight some of the stickers – a blue shark in pink waters, a flaming sandal, and Ind–? Jam?.
And last, a selection of work by “Unknown Artists”
There are two large paste up figures in black and white which may or may not be by the same artist. The top one is Mona Lisa is a man’s suit. She’s been leaning on this wall since at least 2019 so although she’s looking a little rough, she’s doing well for her age.
The previous post, Utopia and smiley faces, showed a mural on Via Regina Margherita in Stornara. It is not the only mural on that wall. This is the next chapter in the story.
below: “The world is changing” are the first few words written on this mural. It was painted in 2022 as part of Comix Street Stornara, by Alaniz, and Wanda Hutira,
below: Princess Mononoke and she-wolf Moro come from an animated Japanese film. The story is about “Mononoke” (a “wolf-girl”), a foundling raised by the Goddess – Lupa Moro, protector of the forest. The plot is too and complicated for this blog post, but it involves a the war between the forest gods and the people of Irontown.
below: “The world is changing. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth and I smell it in the air.” A white wolf with many sharp pointy teeth snarls at the fox beside him.
below: Flowery and colourful, a painting by Margay Art (aka Margot) , “Coyote Mediterraneo”,
below: Human figures walking on leaves caught in barbed wire beside the leaves and plants flowing from the fox’s face. In the caption to this photo I have cut and pasted the artist’s description of the painting that I found on her Instagram page. The translation is from Google Translate so tread with caution!
“El zorro es el coyote del mediterraneo. Se mete a traves de la “macchia”, de las praderas. Su pelaje toma el olor de las plantas salvajes y sus ojos se llenan de la sed de libertad. El zorro no se detiene ni en las barreras, ni en los alambrados como muchas almas en equilibrio sobre las fronteras. Represente a la marguerita que es la flor nacional de Italia. Al olivo y al laurel, emblematicos del mediterraneo, al roble por su fuerza, a la avena sativa por su particular modo de dispersion de semillas ( ella tambien se agarra del zorro para plantarse al otro lado del campo evitando el empobrecimiento genetico de la especie) y al opio por tener una flor que pierde sus petalos cuando la cortas ya que solo se admira su belleza cuando esta viva y libre.” TRANSLATION: The fox is the coyote of the Mediterranean. It slips through the “macchia” (grassland). Its fur takes on the scent of wild plants and its eyes are filled with the thirst for freedom. The fox does not stop at barriers or fences, like many souls balanced on borders. It represents the daisy, which is Italy’s national flower. The olive and the laurel, emblematic of the Mediterranean, the oak for its strength, the sativa oat for its particular way of dispersing seeds (it also grabs onto the fox to plant itself on the other side of the field, avoiding the genetic impoverishment of the species) and the opium for having a flower that loses its petals when you cut it, since its beauty can only be admired when it is alive and free.
below: At the far end of the wall, there is a mural by Eloi Angel (aka TMX) and Roseta Fuster Serquera, titled “Freedom” When we were young, we had to work. When we are older we are free from work but we have not the strength to do everything we want.
On Via Regina Margherit in Stornara there is a large mural by Toni Espinar. It’s title is: “La gran mentira” (Triptico de la Consciencia) which translates to “The Big Lie (Triptych of Consciousness). Triptych refers to the fact that the mural is in three sections/scenes, each under its own arch. The arches resemble stonework found in church architecture.
The first frame is dominated by large purple creatures with big white teeth and shiny red eyes. Green biohazard symbols are in their mouths. A gargoyle-like human head with eyes closed is at the top of the arch.
Under the word “Utopia” is a very pregnant man with a tattoo that says “Respect” on his tummy. On his shoulder is another tattoo that combines the symbols for male and female. He is looking skyward, or perhaps heavenward. Is there a comparison to Christ that can be made here? Is there a resemblance to how the face of Jesus is often portrayed?
Tiger mom seems to push little tiger son into the boxing ring. The white words above the gremlins say “La grande bugia” which can also translate to “the big lie”. Across the top of the arch it says “cambiare mondo, non follia ma giustizia”, or “change the world, not madness but justice”
The chest tattoo is a winged red heart with the equation e=mc2, Einstein’s theory of relativity. There is also a series of keyholes on his chest.
On the far right of the mural, a school of green fish swim together.
below: Mary and Jesus on the corner, with murals to the right and murals to the left.
below: Along Via Ragusa there is a wall covered by a series of murals. On the other side of the wall are football fields. You can see the nets above the wall to prevent balls from flying onto the street.
below: Three dimensional cubes stacked on top of each other.
below: Flying cubes
below: A Checkos, tribute to Juan Alberto Barbas, an Argentinian football player, b. 1959, who played for a number of clubs in Argentina, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland before retiring in 2009.
below: Linked fingers
I “found” these murals in a northeast section of Lecce when I went looking for the 167/B Street Murals. They are in the same neighbourhood.
If you walk around the old part of Naples (particularly the Quartieri Spagnoli), you will see many murals and paintings by the Italian duo Cyop & Kaf. Many of them are weathered and faded or written over but they are still hard to miss. This is a selection of the ones that I saw in Naples one wet spring day.
References to Diego Maradona are everywhere in Naples! Maradona (1960-2020) was a football hero to many. He joined Napoli’s football team (Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, or SSC Napoli) in 1984 and took a lacklustre team and made them winners. During the seven years that Maradona led the Naples team they won two Series A titles – the first southern Italian team to do so. His influence on Naples lives on.
below: This forty foot high mural is the center of all things Maradona. There are direction signs all over the old part of the city (Quartieri Spagnoli) showing the way to this small square. If you visit, expect to find it full of fans!
Also, expect to find all kinds of tributes to Napoli’s favorite footballer all over the city.
below: Maradona is not the only player celebrated here. This mural is a tribute to Dries Mertens, “il miglior goleador” [= the best goal scorer] and “148 gol, 9 anni, di storia amore”
below: Maradona as king, artwork by Mr. Pencil
below: Number 9 is not Maradona. The little band of yellow hair on top gives it away as Victor Osimhen, originally from Nigeria.
below: Nicely placed women beside Franco Martinez’s portrait of Maradona.
below: Another portrait of Naples most famous #10, this one by Yessica Garcia.
Here are three more, of the MANY, murals found in Stornara Italy.
below: “Fly with me” by Alessandra Carloni, 2023. With a suitcase all packed and ready to go, heading out for adventures on a turtle.
below: A lazy, comfortable ride through a sea of red and blue in a mural by Nikro, aka Nicola Ciarallo, 2021
below:Erica II Cane (or Ericailcane), A distracted cat! And while the cat’s away, the mice will play. The mice have taken over! Don’t be a distracted cat!
Eyes on the Streets 