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FAME Festival Pre-Coverage

The walls of Grottaglie are bleeding art. Again. The third installment of the free-form street art event FAME Festival has been taking shape in the ancient ceramics town Grottaglie, Italy. For the last few months, Studiocromie’s Angelo Milano has been hosting a cast of international contemporary urban artists, who have produced ceramics and prints, and literally painted the town with outdoor installations and murals. So far, works have appeared from artists such as Spain’s Sam3, US’s Swoon and MOMO, Brazil’s Nunca and Os Gemeos, Portugal’s Vhils and Italy’s own Blu. Nunca and Blu’s murals have spoken to contemporary problems of greed and corruption in the trash industry in Grottaglie, while MOMO’s conceptual pieces and Sam3’s signature black silhouettes have pushed the boundaries of the traditional street art aesthetic.

The sponsor-free FAME Festival derives its name from the ironic difference between the word’s meaning in English (success, celebrity), and in Italian (hunger, starvation). Milano sees the annual festival as an opportunity to upgrade “aesthetically depressed” areas in the city, as well as bring the town’s artistic tradition into the modern day. This year’s FAME Festival culminates with a group show on September 25.

View the first batch of completed murals and this year's tentative lineup, after the jump.

Vhils

The walls of Grottaglie are bleeding art. Again. The third installment of the free-form street art event FAME Festival has been taking shape in the ancient ceramics town Grottaglie, Italy. For the last few months, Studiocromie’sAngelo Milano has been hosting a cast of international contemporaryurban artists, who have produced ceramics and prints, and literallypainted the town with outdoor installations and murals. So far, workshave appeared from artists such as Spain’s Sam3, US’s Swoon and MOMO, Brazil’s Nunca and Os Gemeos, Portugal’s Vhils and Italy’s own Blu.Nunca and Blu’s murals have spoken to contemporary problems of greedand corruption in the trash industry in Grottaglie, while MOMO’sconceptual pieces and Sam3’s signature black silhouettes have pushedthe boundaries of the traditional street art aesthetic.

Thesponsor-free FAME Festival derives its name from the ironic differencebetween the word’s meaning in English (success, celebrity), and inItalian (hunger, starvation). Milano sees the annual festival as anopportunity to upgrade “aesthetically depressed” areas in the city, aswell as bring the town’s artistic tradition into the modern day. Thisyear’s FAME Festival culminates with a group show on September 25.

Hi-Fructose correspondent Lauren Quinn will be visiting Grottaglie to check out the festival in person, so be sure to check back for more on-site coverage and updates as the event draws nearer.

Nunca

Nunca

Tentative lineup for Fame Festival ’10:

JR – france
ERICA IL CANE – italy
NUNCA – brasil
SAM3 – spain
BLU – italy
OS GEMEOS – brasil
SPACE INVADER – france
ESCIF – spain
108 – italy
SLINKACHU – uk
DALEK – usa
NICOLA TOFFOLINI – italia
LUCY MCLAUCHLAN – uk
SWOON – usa
CYOP E KAF – italy
DAVID ELLIS – usa
VHILS – portugal
CONOR HARRINGTON – ireland
BEN WOLF – usa
WORD TO MOTHER – uk
MOMO – usa
BASTARDILLA – colombia

SAM3

Os Gemeos

Os Gemeos

Os Gemeos

Swoon

Swoon

Blu

Blu

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