Submitted by Allison Ruffner on the 2017 winter session program in Florence, Italy sponsored by the Department of Art…
In almost any situation, any mention of the romantic city of Florence and it is not long before the conversation includes the arts. During the Italian Renaissance, Florence was basically turned into a living museum. Between its chapels, galleries, piazzas and exhibitions, the city is packed with inexhaustible treasures that capture the spirit of the Renaissance more fully than any other place. While many people know about the rich art histories of the city—the Leonardo’s and Di Vinci’s—few people are aware of the lesser known artists hiding around as well.
On Friday, we traveled across the Ponte Vecchio to the more “local” end of Florence, to check out some contemporary art makers and street artists’ studios on the rise. We visited the studio of the artist Clet Abraham who is a contemporary artist working, quite literally, on the streets of Florence. His interest seems focused on the implementation of urban projects and he prowls the city street at night looking for road signs to modify. While not entirely legal, his whimsical alterations of Europe’s omnipresent road signs take care not to alter the main function of the originals (photos below). When walking around the streets of Florence, you can see Clet’s work decorating nearly every corner you turn. We had the pleasure of meeting him and watching him work right inside his studio for the afternoon.
Anyone who is walking around Florence has also (whether they know it or not), seen the work of the anonymous artist that goes by Blub. The small wheat paste ‘paintings’ are called L’arte sa Nuotare (Art Knows How To Swim), often featuring famous figures and artworks like the Botticelli’s Madonna, Michelangelo’s David and members of the Medici family in swimming masks on small posters. The point is to make famous art more accessible to the wider public, take these awe-inspiring works off their museum pedestals, invoking emotion, a smile or a conversation.
To miss out on these opportunities of street art in Florence is to miss out on emerging yourself in the true local culture of the space. I was more increasingly aware of all the smaller things outside of the galleries—chalk artists on the street, musicians, dancers, etc. that are often only working for whatever money people are willing to give them.
In short, the streets of Florence are more then just a Renaissance background and street art is popping up more than ever. Everywhere you go, you can see something odd, something interesting and it keeps my eyes open to spotting this as I walk around the city.