News (publication date 14 June 2024)
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A woman embraces her two children, there is an intersection of lights and glances, but only the little girl’s eyes move away from the reassuring face of her mother or the complicit face of her brother and are projected outwards. That look embodies courage, the determination to face change and embrace a future vision of reality.
This, in a nutshell, is the essence of “Hope”, the new mural signed by Giulio Rosk and donated to Sperone and the city of Palermo by Pasqualino Monti. The work, carried out in a public housing building in Passo Petrina 5, falls within the scope of the activities undertaken by Sicindustria Palermo during last year’s solidarity dinner, in which, thanks to the recommendation of the Municipality, they were auctioned a series of city problems. Concrete or even symbolic interventions, such as pavements to be repaired, fountains and flowerbeds to be arranged, social activities, street furniture or play equipment to be installed or even small sponsorships. On that occasion, the president of the Port Authority and CEO of Enav, accepting Sicindustria’s invitation, decided to personally finance the construction of a project at Sperone.
“There is a phrase from Saint Augustine – explains Monti – which often inspires me, especially since I arrived at the helm of the ports of Western Sicily and in particular that of Palermo. ‘Hope has two beautiful children: indignation and courage. Disdain for the reality of things, the courage to change them. When we had to choose a work for this neighborhood, so difficult due to its thousand emergencies and yet eager for redemption, I thought that at the center of everything there could only be hope. But it seemed right to me to also combine disdain and courage. Because if you don’t get indignant about things that aren’t right, it will be difficult to find the courage to change them.”
The comparison with Giulio Rosk, one of the most famous Sicilian street artists, produced a mural that interprets the essence of the famous phrase of Saint Augustine. With a mother, a tangible symbol of hope, flanked by her two children, each with a different perspective: one represents indifference, the passive acceptance of immutable reality; the other, to which they both turn their gaze, embodies courage.
“This work – adds Monti – does not only have an aesthetic value, but is actually a message, an invitation to the city to do self-criticism and to look at the future with confidence and also with courage”.
“Every touch of color brought to the Sperone – explains Rosk – is a fragment of beauty that breaks into the architectural monotony of a neighborhood that, despite everything, does not want to give up. These images, these faces, these ‘talking buildings’ promote an alternative, a second chance, in this case even more hope. This is also why I am happy to have embraced a project that enhances the value of the suburbs.”
This afternoon the work was symbolically delivered to the neighborhood in the presence of the mayor Roberto Lagalla and the president of Sicindustria Palermo Giuseppe Russello. “In recent years – comments Russello – I have been fortunate enough to appreciate President Monti for his professionalism, his managerial skills and the determination with which he revolutionized the ports of western Sicily. Today I have the pleasure of exalting sensitivity and its absolutely disinterested generosity. In the end, this too is a fragment of hope given to the city. And it perfectly matches the spirit that accompanies this initiative of ours: small gestures, but with an enormous meaning.”
In recent months the first interventions linked to the charity auction have been launched, some already completed such as the football pitch in Romagnolo or the scholarships donated to students in educational poverty. Furthermore, the planning of other interventions has already started such as the artistic lighting of the Quattro Canti, the redevelopment of Piazzetta della Libertà di Stampa and some areas of the center such as Via Generale Magliocco and Via Principe di Belmonte, but also the renovation of the flower beds in the square. Leoni, the supply of furniture or the maintenance of other areas.
“In recent months – comments Mayor Roberto Lagalla – the initiatives born under the sign of the fruitful collaboration between the Municipality and Sicindustria Palermo are taking shape in different areas of the city. In this case, we reveal to the city an artistic gift with a strong symbolic value and for this I would like to thank the president of the Port Authority Pasqualino Monti for this personal gesture of generosity and profound sensitivity. Furthermore, it is a work, for which I also thank those who created it, the artist Giulio Rosk, which fits precisely with the driving theme of the celebrations of the four hundredth anniversary of Santa Rosalia, hope. That hope of redemption and change for these neighborhoods which also passes through signs and symbols like this.”
Julius Rosk
Giulio Gebbia, aka Rosk, born in ’88, is among the most prolific street artists of his generation.
His style – a mix between the hyperrealistic and the dreamlike, the result of profound technical knowledge – has made his works unmistakable, scattered on the walls of cities all over the world, such as Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Milan, Paris, New York, Bristol, Miami…
He worked for several years in a duo with Rosk&Loste with whom he entered the world of Graffiti Advertising, signing works for well-known international brands such as Gucci, Ceres, Axa Assicurazioni, Averna, SEAT Falcone and Borsellino at the Palermo cove.
He has also created artistic projects for the Semedorato Brewery, for Cantina La vite, for Salov: for them he decorated the tanks intended for use in manufacturing processes, transforming them into real open-air canvases capable of integrating in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape.
His is also the work Close the gap created near the vertical forest of Milan for Fastweb.
He has also signed works that celebrate sporting achievements such as those of Atalanta, SPAL, Lega Serie A TIM, as well as the recent work in Florence in honor of the former Viola captain Davide Astori. These works were created in peripheral areas of cities, always with a view to redeveloping the urban territory through art.
The work
The mural with the theme “Hope” embodies the famous phrase of Saint Augustine (“Hope has two beautiful children: disdain and courage. Disdain for the reality of things, the courage to change them”) and represents a mother, symbol of hope, with two children, each with a clear expression that reflects their symbolic meaning.
On the left, courage has a penetrating and direct gaze that seems to follow those who observe the work, stimulating reflection and inciting change. This look conveys a silent strength, motivating the viewer to take courageous initiatives.
Within the composition there are two important symbolic elements. On the one hand, a shell represents a Eucharistic message of resurrection. On the other hand, an anchor symbolizes salvation, rooting the concept of hope in a promise of security and stability.
The entire composition is immersed in vivid and desaturated colors that highlight the warm colors of the faces, while the play of light and shadow emphasizes the dualism between disdain and courage, both essential elements for the realization of hope itself.
