Founded by Greek colonists in the mid-8th century BC. C., Crotone became one of polis most important of Magna Graecia thanks to the presence of Pythagoras and its school, founded around 530 BC. Not only that, the Calabrian city is immersed in the protected marine area of Capo Rizzuto and, on the promontory of Capo Colonna, boasts the presence of the only surviving column of the Temple of Hera Lacinia. With a centuries-old historical and artistic background, from today Crotone will be the protagonist of an important urban regeneration project KRIU – Krotone Urban Identity, designed by Gulia Urbanaa traveling street art exhibition developed by the collective Rublanum and which has been changing the face of the small towns of Calabria for 14 years. The initiative (lasting three years) concluded its first edition with the interventions of four artists of international caliber who colored two problematic areas of the city, ‘300 accommodations’ And Jesus neighborhood.
The artists of the first edition of “KRIU – Krotone Identità Urbane” in Crotone
They were invited for the first edition of KRIU Aches, Kitsune, Kraser And Piet Rodriguez, each of whom created their own work taking into account the history of the city of Crotone and the identity of the neighborhoods. In detail:Aches created a work dedicated to sport in honor of Crotone Città dello Sport, in whose creation the inhabitants of the building concerned were directly involved; Breathe it is instead the work of Kitsune with which the artist wanted to pay homage to the south and the territory; Kraser he dedicated his mural to the symbolic personality of the city of Crotone, Pythagoras, taking inspiration from the bust exhibited at the archaeological museum of Naples which was found in Herculaneum at Villa dei Papiri. In the end, Piet Rodriguez dedicates his work to Milo, a fighter and leader of ancient Greece born in Crotone, taking inspiration from the painting that portrays him by Jean-Jacques Bachelierbut reinterpreting it in a contemporary key, presenting a bold composition with a strong visual impact.
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The collateral events of “KRIU – Krotone Identità Urbane” in Crotone
In addition to inviting writers of international caliber to participate, KRIU has organized collateral events, such as Back To The Style Calabria inviting over 25 Calabrian street artists who gave vent to their creativity by transforming the wall of the port of Crotone in Via Miscello da Ripe. Added to this were the meetings with the artists, which allowed the creation of a direct dialogue between art and the public, and the performance of Daniel Cundari And Daniele Fabio.
Word to Giacomo Marinaro, curator and co-founder of Gulìa Urbana
“When we have the opportunity to operate in big cities, the challenge for us at Gulìa Urbana becomes much more interesting because we try to put all our strengths into human and urban development”, explains ad Artribune Giacomo Marinarocurator of the project and member of the collective Rublanum. “This is because identifying walls where you can operate and collaborate with great artists is simpler than (constant and long-lasting) work focused on the human sphere. In Crotone, for example, in common agreement with the administration, we have decided to operate in the two neighborhoods which – journalistically speaking – are much ‘hotter’. In fact, ‘300 accommodations’ and Quartiere Gesù present housing structures that suffer from significant urban planning problems. With KRIU we managed to shine a spotlight on these areas and their urban and planning critical issues, capturing the attention of the public and professionals. Sometimes we talk about street art as if it were a mask”, concludes Marinaro“but really the role is to focus attention on the difficulties to speed up the resolution process”.
Valentina Muzi
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