Special projects, 12 February 2018

AGITATEVI project: a mural for Antonio Gramsci, Bologna

CHEAP & Chekos’art for Gramsci Foundation Emilia-Romagna

Bologna, October 2017, Valeriani and Sirani Institute,

“Educate yourselves, because we will need all our intelligence.

Agitate, because we will need all our enthusiasm.

Organise, because we will need all our strength.”

(L’Ordine Nuovo, 1 May 1919)

photo by Michele Lapini

Chekos’art & CHEAP together with the Gramsci Foundation Emilia-Romagna, created a public art work in Bologna dedicated to Antonio Gramsci, on the 80th anniversary of his death in 1937.

“Inspired by the experience of the Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, who in 2013 built a real park in the Bronx, New York, called Gramsci Monument, based on the idea that art is an essential element of public space, we also want to offer the city of #Bologna a public art work with Antonio Gramsci as its subject.

The title of the project, AGITATEVIproject, comes from Antonio Gramsci’s famous phrase urging people to reclaim reality through study and culture, with passion, enthusiasm and determination. The phrase opened the first issue of L’Ordine Nuovo on 1 May 1919 and remained the magazine’s motto until 1920.

The wall was entrusted to the street artist Checkos’art. Born in Lecce, active in urban space since 1995 and founder in 2009 of the South Italy Street Art network, Checkos’art has a style that combines abstract and figurative art, within an evolution of the technique of stencil.

The call to agitate with enthusiasm, to organise with strength and to educate oneself to stimulate intelligence finds its perfect place on the facade of a school: the Aldini Valeriani Sirani Institute, whose head teacher Prof. Salvatore Grillo, aware of the value of Antonio Gramsci, accepted our proposal and fully collaborated in welcoming Gramsci’s iconic face on the walls of the Institute.”

CHEAP

PRESS:

http://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/street-urban-art/2017/11/antonio-gramsci-icona-politica-e-pop-ecco-il-murale-realizzato-a-bologna-da-uno-street-artist/

https://anotherscratchinthewall.com/2017/10/31/agitatevi-project-a-bologna-un-murale-per-antonio-gramsci/

https://zero.eu/magazine/il-grande-murale-con-il-ritratto-di-gramsci/