167 Art Project 2025: The voice of silence

“The voice of silence”

from 10 to 16 October 2025, 167 B district, Lecce

167 Art Project, 2025 edition: The voice of silence

from 10 to 16 October 2025, 167 B district, Lecce

Conceived and organised by the 167 B Street association, Lecce.

The 167 Art Project returns in 2025 with a new edition dedicated to the power of urban art as a tool for memory, resistance and rebirth. The project, which for years has brought the 167 B district of Lecce to life with participatory art interventions, this year will host the Ukrainian artist Sasha Korban, internationally known for his deeply human and poetic murals.

With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Sasha’s international career came to a sudden stop. His participation in 167 Art Project is a symbolic and concrete act of solidarity, but also a chance to give him back a space for artistic expression, where he can find connections, inspiration and future possibilities again.

His work on the main wall will be the centrepiece of this edition, but the project will also involve local artists, who will paint murals in different parts of the neighbourhood, creating moments of gathering, reflection and sharing with the resident community

Who we are: the 167B Street association

167B Street is a non profit cultural association born in Lecce, in the heart of the 167 B area, a social housing district often on the margins of official cultural programmes. Founded by a group of artists and cultural workers with long experience in urban art, the association works to promote participatory processes, social inclusion and urban regeneration through street art.

We work with local communities, public bodies, schools, universities and Italian and international artists, with the aim of turning urban space into a space for relationships and collective growth. Our work aims to enhance suburban areas, giving them back dignity, beauty and a voice.

The 167 Art Project

Since 2017, the cultural association 167/B Street has run the 167Art Project, an urban art festival involving internationally renowned artists and young emerging talents in a series of art residencies, murals, workshops and meetings with residents. The aim is to create an 

open air museum in the 167 B district, building a sense of belonging, collaboration and pride in the area.

Over the years the project has built a network of solid and ongoing collaborations, working side by side with:

• the San Giovanni Battista Parish Community, the social and spiritual heart of the neighbourhood;

• Arca Sud Salento: the main owner and manager of social housing and public residential buildings (ERP) in the Lecce and Salento area.
  
• the Stomeo Zimbalo Comprehensive School, with which training and creative experiences for students and teachers have been launched;

• local companies such as Duriplastic and Mello Costruzioni. 

• local associations working in culture, social affairs and sport: 

Ass. la Svolta di Surbo 

ARCI Lecce solidarietà e Coop. 

Gus Italia , Gruppo Umana Solidarietà

Ass. Fuoriluogo odv

ass. Officine Cittadine

At international level, 167 Art Project has collaborated for three editions with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Italy, and in 2024 received support from the Culture Ireland fund.
All editions of the project have been conceived and carried out in a participatory, grassroots way, involving residents, volunteers, young people and anyone who wanted to contribute.

This openness has allowed the project to grow over the years, always keeping an inclusive spirit rooted in the area.

167Art Project 2025 aims to reaffirm the importance of public art as a tool for collective expression, to support cultural growth and strengthen community bonds through beauty, participation and civic engagement.

Besides the mural planned in Lecce, in the neighbourhood that has hosted the urban art project 167 Art Project, this year the Ukrainian artist Sasha Korban will also take part in workshop activities. These participatory experiences will be made possible thanks to the collaboration of several local organisations that have already joined the event, including ARCI Lecce Solidarietà and GUS (Gruppo Umana Solidarietà), La Svolta association of Surbo.

On 16 October, from 9.30 am, there will be a conference entitled “Artistic visions for a world of peace”.
The meeting will be attended by lower secondary students of the “Stomeo Zimbalo” school, representatives of various associations, project partners, the artists of the 167B Street studio and the special guest of the 2025 edition, the Ukrainian artist Sasha Korban.

The conference will open a debate on how art and culture can be one of the key tools to encourage dialogue and promote peace.

The initiative has received the approval and the necessary authorisations from ARCA Sud Salento, owner of the building where the mural will be painted.

Discover more: Urban regeneration through art · Participatory art