Tell Me a Story

Every picture tells a story, a picture is worth a thousand words, show, don’t tell, how ever you put it, since there have been walls, from time immemorial, people have painted on them.

The years long project ATTITUDE, conceived and realized by Gian Guido Grassi, and funded by generous grants from the Region of Tuscany, has grown from its inception in the exhibition “ATTITUDE / Graffiti Writing, Street Art, Neo Muralism” at Palazzo Blu in 2021 in Pisa, through the Mid-Serchio River Valley, and The Garfagnana, and now to the Galleria Comunale di Barga where 13 of the over 50 artists of stART ATTITUDE are represented in an exhibition, entitled Storytelling, of screen prints commissioned in conjunction with its statement of purpose, promotion of Street Art, Graffiti Writing and Neo Muralism.

There is also now a fascinating tour on an itinerary through six sites in various villages of the Garfagnana where four internationally recognized Urban Artists, and several university students, explore themes of local history, legends and lore in mural form.

In the northernmost village on the murals itinerary at VILLA COLLEMANDINA, an expansive image of the mountain ranges adorns the side of the town hall in homage to the Garfagnana, painted by students of the Accademia di belle arte di Firenze; the next stop in CASTIGLIONE, represents flora and fauna of the wilds of the Garfagnana by HITNES; on the front of the elementary school in PIEVE FOSCIANA, ZED1 has elaborated on the theme of the first tricolor flag made and flown in Italy in 1831; in the comune of Fosciandora, at LUPINAIA, BASTARDILLA suggests the kiss of the chestnuts nesting in their spiny hull; in CESERANA, ZED1 delights with its legend of saints, bees, and bare bottoms; at Riana, a toast to the wine festival by HITNES; and last, but by no means least, in GALLICANO, ERICAILCANE thrills us with a frog and adorable rodents on a wild ride in walnut shells, filled and spilling over with iconic local items, on the raging torrent.

With the available regional funding for Street Art/Urban Art/Art in Public places, The Mayor of Barga, Caterina Campani, had a different, but equally illustrious, take on the Street Art theme, entitled le Porte di Barga, with permanent posters mounted in iron, or wooden, standing frames by our own internationally known, local Art legends: the torrente Corsonna water mill image near Catagnana by KEANE; Architectural references by FABRIZIO DA PRATO on the mountain road to Tiglio; the Poet Pascoli image by SANDRA RIGALI at Castelvecchio Pascoli; in the center of Fornaci di Barga, TONY PHILLIPS, on the main road from the valley to Barga, NICK KRACZYNA; and at Ponte all’Ania, GIULIA NOEYES.

These widely diffused initiatives, in part conceived and realized by Gian Guido Grassi, the local participation by Mayor Caterina Campani, and cooperation by multiple other local municipal governments, with the generous contributions of the Region of Tuscany, tell the story in a feast for the eyes and food for thought on the walls, outside and in, in the wide open spectacularly beautiful mountainous northwestern corner of Tuscany.