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FRONTIER The line of style – Comune di Bologna

| A project by Comune di Bologna. Organized by Cultural Association ALL WRITE. Curated by Fabiola Naldi and Claudio Musso.
Bologna (Italy), June – July 2012 / January 2013.

Artists: Phase II, DAIM, Does, Honet, M-City, Rusty, Dado, Joys, Etnik, Eron, Hitnes, Andreco.

Frontier – The line of style is a project promoted by the City of Bologna, in collaboration with Regione Emilia-Romagna, to enhance the two disciplines of Writing and Street Art through a deep reflection about these two forms, internationally recognized as some of the most interesting expressions into the contemporary art world.

The project, curated by Claudio Musso e Fabiola Naldi, is ideally and historically connected to the show “Arte di Frontiera. New York Graffiti”, organized in 1984 at the Modern Art Gallery of Bologna. The most important figures of New York Graffiti-Art took part at this show and later they became very famous artist as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf.
Through Frontier, the city of Bologna aims to underline and relaunch its rule as centre of esthetical production and reflection around an artistic phenomenon that
had left in the city great marks both in Writing and Street Art.

FRONTIER has been structured as an open and evolving platform based on two complementary phases: the fist phase is focused on the demonstration of the artistic value of Street Art and Writing, displayed by the creation of 13 monumental walls; the second one is based on a theoretical and critical examination of the two disciplines.

The first phase (June-July 2012) will consist in the creation of 13 site-specific artworks huge in their architectonical and visual dimensions by 5 foreign and 8 Italian artists. The walls, selected by the curators for their dimensions and their aesthetic impact, are mostly walls of popular buildings owned/built by ACER.

The artists, selected for their innovative styles and fundamental contribution to the development of the two movements, have been protagonists of the art scene from the Seventies to nowadays: Phase II is between the founders of the movement; Daim, Joys and Dado are great figures for what it concerns the “3d explosion”; Honet, Does, Hitnes and Eron excel in the use of colour and the mastery of the composition; M-City, Andreco and Cuoghi Corsello, through their simple figuration, are able to express clear and strong messages. The selection underlines both the following of different generations of artists and their transformations of style, both an international landscape with a focus on some of the most important Italian figures.

Frontier will end in January 2013 with a critical and historical reflection on Writing and Street Art. An international symposium will be hosted at MAMBO (the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna). A bilingual book will be published by Damiani.

Through a critical exchange between architects, artists and critics, we hope to give a new form to a complicate context as the one that includes these specific phenomena.


“DEIM – corner to corner” | Mirko Reisser (DAIM)
Courtesy: Comune de Bologna / Culturale ALL WRITE | Photo © MRpro

FOREIGNER ARTISTS AT WORK IN NAVILE, SAN DONATO AND SAN VITALE DISTRICTS (June-July 2012)

The first phase of the project will start the 18th of June: the area around Navile, San Donato and San Vitale district will host the foreigner artists into 5 open air sites that people and citizens could visit. The 27th of June and 18th of July Urban Center Bologna will organize a urban trekking tour touching the places where the artists are working.

In the Navile District PHASE II will leave his mark. His name is strongly linked to the history of Writing: in fact in the Seventies he has been one of the founders of this discipline and, year by year, his pieces have been sources of studies for people interested in approaching aerosol art. His complicated letters and intricate lines became a starting point for all the young generations.

On the wall of the parking closed to the City Hall building at Via Fioravanti, will work DAIM, german artist of a second generation, who imported in Europe the Writing’s codes, improving this technique and creating a style that today is among the favourite ones.

At Via Franco Bolognese we will see the dutch artist DOES, a symbol in the last generation of Writers. He breaks the usual schemes and his work is characterized by a stylistic contamination with influences from comics and videogames culture.

The wall at Via del Lavoro 18 (Dan Donato District) will host HONET, famous artist from Paris, author of many pieces around the world and known for his excellent collaborations (Lacoste, Prada, Louis Vitton, Ateliers Ruby…). He always pays attention to iconology and to site specific needs, as long as we can talk properly about “public art”.

A huge wall at San Vitale District is left to M-CITY, polish artist typical for his use of stencils on very big surfaces. M-City’s world is strongly influenced by the symbols of contemporary metropolis. In fact in his works big industrial complexes are mixed with the iconography of the transports (trains, cars, boats), in a full/empty game underlined by a bi-dimensional representation.

ITALIAN ARTISTS AT WORK IN PORTO, NAVILE, SAN DONATO AND SAN VITALE DISTRICTS (June-July 2012)

This project has been thought also for a specific wish of working in the city, with the city and for the city of Bologna. In the selection of the Italian artists, we decided to introduce a focus on Bologna and on the artists born in this city or trained in its schools and Academy.
Cuoghi Corsello, internationally well known artists, have been pioneers in Italian Writing and Street art, being since the beginning a unique and imitated example. Their artistic
history is a paradigm for the Italian underground scene. Their works are crowded of
invented characters with a strongly magical and spiritual content.

Rusty, among the first writers in Bologna, thanks to his production, took part at the diffusion of Writing in the city, importing American and North European styles and creating a personal and recognizable style.
Dado represents a phase of melting of styles, fusion of elements and aspects derived from the Mediterranean culture, both architectonically and pictorially. He creates a new frontier in Writing, very closed to other disciplines as sculpture, design and installation.

For sure Joys, Etnik and Eron are great figures in the stylistic evolution of Italian Writing. Joys, artist from Padua, connects his research to a maniacal study of geometry. In fact in his works he gives great attention to tridimensionality through the use of shapes and the control of light and shadow.
The main characteristic in Etnik’s style consists in the Prospect Cities: favourite subject of his murals that use architecture as a symbol. In his artworks, urban blocks are dismantled and rebuilt from different points of view.
Eron, from Rimini, bases his style on a realistic figuration obtained through the use of incredible shades. His very controlled mark, both on walls and canvases, is typical of his
unique work.

The landscape of Street Art in Italy moves on in its evolution. For this phase of the project we decided to invite two artists typical of two specific trends: the return to a naturalistic figuration characterizes Hitnes’ themes and methodology, whereas Andreco reclaims a simple design and references to rituals.

FRONTIER – The line of style is a project promoted and coordinated by the City of Bologna – Department of Culture and Youth in collaboration with the Housing Department and the Districts of Navile, Porto, San Donato, San Vitale.

Curated by Claudio Musso and Fabiola Naldi

Realized by the Cultural Association ALL WRITE In collaboration with Dado
Directed by Eleonora Battiston

With the support of Regione Emilia-Romagna
In collaboration with ACER – Azienda Casa Emilia-Romagna della Provincia di Bologna, MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, Urban Center Bologna

The project is realized thanks to the support and collaboration of Mare Termale Bolognes, Gruppo Unipol, Gruppo Venpa 3, CoopCostruzioni Hotel I, Portici Damiani Editore


There is a book available about this project, more infos here.