"In the beginning there was Scalisi". With this epigraph, the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia starts telling the story of an artistic operation that deep down really is somewhat miraculous.
We are in Ballarò, the famous Palermo's district, where in the last few days five extraordinary artists have been creating five mural paintings: the aim was that of stressing the idea of rebirth and beauty that, through art, echoes throughout the city and beyond.
Alessandro Bazan, CrazyOne, Fulvio Di Piazza, Andrea Buglisi and Igor Scalisi Palminteri, the last one being the catalyst of the whole operation.
Around a month ago, Igor realised an exceptional "San Benedetto il Moro" (St. Benedict the Moor) on the occasion of the 11th edition of "Mediterraneo antirazzista" (anti-racist Mediterranean): a 16 meters mural painting that was a sort of revelation for the people of the district, to the point where the artists received a number of suggestions: «Cca ci stassi buona Santa Rosalia» (St. Rosalia would fit perfectly here).
Igor welcomed the idea and decided to get four other artists involved, increasing decisively the range of the operation.
Francesco Galvagno, founder of Elenk'Art, also took up the cause and believed in the project right away, fully funding it. Tommaso Piazza was moreover the one who provided the colors.
There you have it then, the miracle: the synergy born around a common urgency, that of fighting the decay in the city through beauty and union.
To us it's important to talk about it, and we do it proudly, both because three of the five artists are part of our project and are present in our gallery with their artworks, and also because on the same day of the Ypsigrock opening, August 9th, we will host a book presentation: "Street art in Sicilia", a work that collects operations like the one we just described on the whole Sicilian territory. The book is the result of a long field research carried out by architect/photographer Mauro Filippi, semiologist Marco Mondino and sociologist Luisa Tuttolomondo.
And finally, we also wish to talk about it because, honestly, we read a pretentious yet imprecise article, entirely devoid of any sense of poetry. We won't link it, because we don't want to play by their rules: it tried to torn to shreds Igor's St. Benedict, the work from where it all started, arguing against the artist's reasons but not realising ti was just proving them right.
Thank you.
