All posts tagged: Basik

Basik Does La danza di San Michele in Paderno d’Adda, Italy

Basik Does La danza di San Michele in Paderno d’Adda, Italy

November 14, 2023
Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)

“La danza di San Michele” (Saint Michael’s Dance) is a captivating mural composition by the street artist Basik, situated in the heart of Paderno d’Adda, Italy. A unique public art project thoughtfully curated by Annalisa Ferraro, the scattered collection has breathed new life into the historic center of Paderno d’Adda, forging a connection between tradition and contemporaneity, past and present, without the need for embellishments or excessive sentimentality.

 

Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Basik, hailing from the vibrant art scene of Italy, embarked on a ten-day journey to transform the town’s walls along Via Manzoni into a beckoning series of canvasses. His artwork serves as a beacon, imploring residents and visitors to embark on an immersive exploration of the region, offering a fresh perspective on its historical, artistic, architectural, and natural heritage. Without delving into the intricacies of funding, this project has been brought to life as part of Paderno d’Adda’s urban regeneration plan, showcasing the town’s commitment to revitalizing its historic center.

Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Three distinct artworks form an indivisible composition, inviting viewers to partake in a visual narrative that evolves with every step along the town’s main street. In “VIA.,” Basik draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s canals, symbolizing the rush of progress and connection. “TANGERE verso uno” reveres the symbolic role of the bridge, embodying possibilities and unity. Finally, “LUCE. ACQUA.” presents a model of the historic Bertini power station as a place of reverence, representing the region’s journey through industrial transformation.

By day, the mural reveals its details and colors, mirroring the landscape from antiquity to the present. By night, a golden thread illuminates Basik’s creation, guiding viewers through a constellation, a scattered composition that tells a fuller story.

“Saint Michael’s Dance” is an ode to hospitality, observation, and comprehension. It offers the people of Paderno d’Adda a new heritage, preserving the memory of the past while embracing the future. This installation symbolizes a celebration of history and an invitation to participate in a compelling narrative.

Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
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Giacomo RUN x Basik Wrestle with the Renaissance and Modern Economics in Florence

Giacomo RUN x Basik Wrestle with the Renaissance and Modern Economics in Florence

January 21, 2020

The Church of Santa Maria Novella, The Opera del Duomo Museum, the Uffizi Gallery. Florence is forever tied to Renaissance art history and shares its cultural riches with the world daily, including an endless stream of graphic design and art history students who study in this Italian city every year. The only drawback is, there is often a complaint by people creating art today that there is only proper reverence and space given to those dead artists in this city – not the ones whose hearts beat today.

Giacomo RUN x Basik. Florence, Italy. 01.2020 (photo courtesy of the artists)

Which may be why RUN and Basik had to run to a suburban area of the city to paint this new large scale mural. “Not much renaissance around,” RUN tells us. “Nothing like the center of the city with all the untouchable art from the past.” The Italian graffiti artist has matured into a fully realized modernist interpreter of form and sophisticated master of color on the street. Here he joins with Basik to depict a rumble between two wrestlers.

Giacomo RUN x Basik. Florence, Italy. 01.2020 (photo courtesy of the artists)

The style of these wrestlers may not be evocative of the style of “Hercules and Antaeus” by Antonio del Pollaiuolo at Ufizzi, but it definitely commands modern Florencians’ attention on the street today – a spectacular example of art on the street for everyone, not just a privileged few. In fact, RUN tells us that these wrestlers are more of an allegory for the people and the struggles people are having right now.

“We feel that people here are put in a constant challenge to combat conditions of poverty and ignorance.” Seeing this work here we are reminded of something BSA has been saying for some time; It is evident with the work of Street Artists globally over the last decade and a half that we have entered into a New Renaissance, but this time it is happening around the world. It is exciting to see this latest example present in the outskirts of Florence to help us put it into context.

Giacomo RUN x Basik. Florence, Italy. 01.2020 (photo courtesy of the artists)
Giacomo RUN x Basik. Florence, Italy. 01.2020 (photo courtesy of the artists)
Giacomo RUN x Basik. Florence, Italy. 01.2020 (photo courtesy of the artists)
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Gaia Painting in Milan with Basik and Never 2501

March 19, 2013

Here are a few moodily lit cellphone photos from inside a warehouse in Milan today courtesy of Street Artist Gaia, who has been working on collaborations with Baskik and Never 2501. He says the new pieces were done in conjunction with a demonstration in support of “Dax Vive” that just took place. We don’t know anything about it, but according to Wikipedia, the term refers to an activist named Davide Cesare, also known as Dax (1977 – March 16, 2003), whose death 10 years ago resulted in riots and a highly publicized trial. According to the site, “Graffiti in memory of Dax are quite common in Milan, but have also appeared elsewhere and abroad; they usually read “Dax vive” (“Dax lives”, in Italian).  Without being explicit in the same way that graffiti can be, it is notable that some Street Artists include imagery and symbols, however muted or abstract, that reference the historical and political along with the personal.

Gaia.  Hand Holding the Torre Velasca. (photo © Gaia)

Looks like a double header in this process shot of Never 2501. (photo © Gaia)

Basik (photo © Gaia)

Basik, Never 2501 and Gaia collaboration. (photo © Gaia)

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