Street art: 10 murals not to be missed in a colorful Livorno

In 2016, Gio Pistone realized a work called “Diana” at the Bastia Passaponti RSA. Invited by Uovo alla Pop to the ‘Parete Aperta’ Festival, she chose the Goddess Diana to represent the female strength.

The work, created on a circular space with no vertices, celebrates equality and welcome, offering the elderly a comfort through the colors of the Goddess. Giovanna Pistone, known as Gio Pistone, is a nationally and internationally renowned illustrator and street artist known for transforming her dreamlike world into lines and colors.

In 2019, during the Uovo alla Pop project in Livorno, artist Ligama created a work titled “Quando manca l’aria” (When Air is Missing) at Via Pompilia. The work depicts the neck of Jeanne Modigliani, inspired by her love for Amedeo Modigliani and her tragically life similar to the one of Ophelia.

Ligama, known for his contemporary style with a retro touch, depicts a well-defined hand next to Jeanne’s neck, expressing the talent of a painter whose art has been exhibited at the City Museum.

Salvo Ligama, a Sicilian master, mixes bright colors with an old soul in his works, which range from Greek statues to broken busts in metaphysical atmospheres. His pursuit of opposites gives him a unique and personal style in which the future merges with a millennial past.

In September 2020, during the Uovo alla Pop project in Livorno, artist Ligama painted “Fiori di Glicine” (Flowers of Wisteria) at Scali delle Pietre.

The four imposing figures tangibly represent abstract principles, such as freedom, brotherhood, friendship and equality (with the fourth man, the artist’s self-portrait). The mural’s title, “Fiori di glicine”, symbolizes friendship and brotherhood, reinterpreting Livorno’s history as a place of research, openness and blending, an experimental appendage of Florence. Ligama, who graduated in graphic design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania in 1986, abandoned his university career in 2015 to devote himself entirely to street art.

His work reflects a monumental hyperrealism with abstract accents and research into the histories of the places where he paints. In Livorno, his adopted city, he created another mural in Via Pompilia, called ‘Quando manca l’aria’ (When Air is Missing), in commemoration of the centenary of Amedeo Modigliani’s death, dedicated to Jeanne Hebuterne, the artist’s partner.

In March 2019, during the Uovo alla Pop project in Livorno, artist Oblo Creature, also known as Giulia Bernini, painted “Pesce Specifico” (Specific Fish) at SA.BA srl.

The mixed work of painting and words surrealistically tells of the importance of glass in the environment, symbolizing a glass bottle that, when filled with water, sinks, but turning into a fish, swims.

With vivid images, the artist creates an association between fish and bottles, reflecting on the life cycle and recycling of glass. The mural celebrates the concept of a “Specific Fish”, which, as the words under the work indicate, combines the concept of fish and glass in a life cycle.

In the heart of Pontino neighborhood in Livorno, artist Valentina Restivo created “Non Gioconda” (Not Mona Lisa) in Via Pompilia in April 2019. This mural, more than three meters high on the Enel tower, celebrates the anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death.

Restivo, a portrait artist from Livorno with a degree in Cinema and Electronic Image, chose to pay homage to Da Vinci with her interpretation of the Mona Lisa using black enamel on a white background. Born in Livorno in 1983, Restivo has a passion for visual art and street art, also demonstrated with other works, such as the triptych of the “sorelle Maramazov” (Maramazov sisters) and the “non Gioconda” (not Mona Lisa), an imposing seven-meter mural also located on Via Pompilia.

In September 2022, in Viale Nazario Sauro 32/34 in Livorno, artist Mr Thoms realized “Questione di incastri” (Problem of joints). The work depicts a child and pieces of wood in an intricate game of joints, symbolizing the journey of foster care, with moments of slowness, growth and change.

Mr Thoms, known for his lively and geometric style, conveys joy and confusion, breaking predefined patterns and showing courage in creative and therapeutic chaos. His art, influenced by architecture and body language, captures the characters’ essence, transforming them into animated creatures with a funky touch in their eyes.

With extensive experience as a set designer and illustrator, Mr Thoms has exhibited his works in international festivals and galleries, creating murals in different parts of the world. Born in Rome in 1979, he currently lives and works there.

In 2021, at Scali delle Cantine 66, Spanish artist El Rey de la Ruina created “Mascagni Pop”. This work depicts Pietro Mascagni, famous composer from Livorno of the 19th and 20th centuries, known for his masterpiece “Cavalleria Rusticana”. 

The mural, with hyper-contemporary graphics and vibrant colors, recalls the Mascagni Terrace and the harp from the opera. The curves of the portrait look like musical notes, expressing movement and the composer’s personality. El Rey de la Ruina, originally from Barcelona and living in Madrid, uses graffiti and public artwork to convey social messages through symbols and vibrant colors.

His works, a combination of styles and symbols, tell stories of protest, emotion and inspiration, exhibited in art festivals and residencies in Spain and abroad.

In May 2023, at Arena Astra in Piazza Luigi Orlando 39, artist Nian realized “Le donne del porto” (The Women of the Harbor).

The mural celebrates the role of women in the maritime professions, breaking with ancient prejudices that held them to be the bearers of bad luck at sea. This work represents the union of women as the rings of an anchor, a symbol of progress and solidarity in harbor work. In the background, the port of Livorno, with its cranes and colors, welcomes the contributions of women and men toward the future.

Nian, a young street artist from Florence, is known for her illustrations and murals painted throughout Italy. Her works emphasize the sacredness of the present and the essence of nature, depicting female figures with intertwined limbs representing ancestral strength. Coop Itinera and the Municipality of Livorno, in collaboration with Uovo alla Pop, supported the organization of this art program.

In July 2022, at the Oami foster home in Borgo San Jacopo 136, artist Oblo made “Saltimbanchi” inspired by the Saltimbanques of Picasso. This work captures the lively movements of the huge colorful legs and arms, taken from photos of mentally disabled people at the foster home and choreographed dance classes of the choreographer Chelo Zoppi took during a year of workshops.

Oblo is co-founder of the Street Art and Public Art Gallery, recognized for creating unique murals, designing exclusive gadgets and conducting creativity workshops in high schools.

Her presence in street art has been evident in various projects, festivals and works in cities such as Livorno, Viareggio and Castellina. “Saltimbanchi” is part of a series of art works that have enriched Livorno’s urban environment, contributing to the city’s vibrant art scene.

The mural realized by Roman artists Solo and Diamond at Cabina E-Distribuzione in Viale Boccaccio is a unique work designed to envelop the entire structure, inviting viewers to follow its development.

The central subject, the Great Mother Earth called ‘Sirvana’, is depicted in a state of happiness and harmony with a lush and regenerated future planet. Tones inspired by Poison Ivy from Batman reveal the supernatural origins of the protagonist, while the scene depicts her dancing in ecstasy, immersed in music.

The name “Sirvana” is a marriage of musical, cultural and geographical elements, reflecting the eclecticism of Solo and Diamond, an artistic duo that fuses Diamond’s Art Nouveau elegance with Solo’s Comic-book Pop.