For the first time, three international artists who have made history in what is defined – with a single summarizing expression – as "urban creativity," that is, the combination of three distinct visual and performative cultures of graffiti writing, street art, and new muralism, will meet. They are recognized as international pioneers of urban creativity: Cornbread (American) for graffiti writing, Blek le Rat (French) for street art, and Mono Carrasco (Chilean) for new muralism. In addition, some of the Italian pioneers of urban creativity, such as FLYCAT for graffiti writing, Teatro for street art, and Ozmo for new muralism, will also intervene, sharing their experiences and stimulating the debate.
The event, moderated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, is preceded by institutional greetings from the Director-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture Angelo Piero Cappello, and interventions by the Head of Service IV of the DGCC of the Ministry of Culture Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli and the Director of INWARD Luca Borriello.
>> It is possible to follow the event live streaming on the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Culture
Darryl McCray (Philadelphia, 1953), better known by the name Cornbread, is a graffiti writer from Philadelphia. He is considered the first graffiti writer in the world. In the late 1960s, he and a group of friends began writing their nickname on the walls of the city. The movement then spread to New York City and blossomed into the modern global graffiti movement. His early tags, during the rise of street gang initials, are also distinguished by the fact that they were not associated with any violent group, but rather with the simple desire to make a name for himself in the city. McCray later worked with the Anti-Graffiti Network and the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, fighting against the spread of graphic vandalism in the city. Today, he is a public speaker and a supporter of youth talent.
Blek le Rat, the pseudonym of Xavier Prou (Paris, 1951), is a French artist. The pseudonym Blek le Rat is inspired by the character Blek Macigno from the comic Il grande Blek. Considered one of the pioneers of street art, he began painting with a friend in 1981 under the collective name "de Blek" and later worked alone, primarily using the technique of “stencil graffiti.” A significant event in his life was his trip to Padua in the early 1960s: the sight of graffiti on walls dating back to World War II, depicting the image of Mussolini and other fascist propaganda created with the pochoir technique, inspired him, and he decided to incorporate the stencil technique into street art. Today, his works influence some of the best artists in the street art scene worldwide, to the point that even Banksy has stated, "every time I paint something, I discover that Blek le Rat did it 20 years ago."
Eduardo “Mono” Carrasco, the clandestine and temporary name of Héctor Carrasco (Santiago, Chile, 1954), graphic designer, muralist, cultural promoter, and founder of the Brigada Ramona Parra (a Chilean muralist group), has lived and worked in Italy since 1974, the year he arrived from his home country as a political refugee after the rise of Pinochet's dictatorship. In 1971, in Santiago, he painted an important mural with the famous artist Roberto Sebastian Matta, which was repeatedly covered by the dictatorship but has since been restored and declared a Cultural Heritage of the country. In Italy and Europe, he has painted hundreds of murals. As a cultural operator, exhibition curator, and organizer of projects for major events, in July 2004, the Chilean Embassy in Rome awarded him the government honor “Pablo Neruda Medal.” Among his books, his most recent, Cile Italia, solo andata. Storia di un profugo cileno (FuoriAsse Editions, 2023), has a preface by the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font.
Luca Massironi (Milan, 1970), known by the artistic name FLYCAT, lives and works in Milan. He is a representative of the very first generation of writers in Italy, and in his long career, he has met some of the most well-known figures of the movement, including Rammellzee, who "assigned" him the letter Y. His work is entirely focused on alphabetical forms, evolving them into a mystical interpretation. Alongside painting, he also works in design, music, fashion, and sculpture production.
Marco Zecchini (Milan, 1968), known by the artistic name Teatro, lives and works in Milan. Accredited as one of the pioneers of Italian street art, he has always been active in the underground culture. He began writing in 1986, blending lettering and punk style. He also works as a set designer for theater, video, and installations. The creator and curator of foundational events for street art in Italy, such as Happening International Underground (1993/2003), he is a dedicated scholar and historian of the origins of the phenomenon in Italy and around the world.
Gionata Gesi (Pontedera, PI, 1975), known by the artistic name Ozmo, lives and works between Milan and Paris. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, after an early start in comics, he dedicated himself to writing and painting. In 2001, he moved to Milan, where he became a pioneer in the production of the first Italian street art within the Leoncavallo space. He is known for creating the first street art piece acquired by a public museum (Museo del Novecento in Milan) and the first mural for a public museum (MACRO in Rome). His work revisits classic archetypes in a pop key, with strong figurative impact and intense colors. Since 2015, he has been directing Wall in Art, a muralism festival in Valcamonica, where urban art engages in dialogue with prehistoric graffiti.