The 8th edition of the street art festival founded by Alice Pasquini takes place from June 2nd to 4th in Civitacampomarano, in the largely underrated region of Molise.
Every June, thousands of visitors flock to the largely abandoned village, which comes alive with the annual street art festival CVTà Street fest. The festival’s purpose is to revitalize the village, which is home to mainly elderly residents who welcome the influx of visitors. This event injects new energy into the community and has become a beloved tradition.
As I wrote last summer in a much longer and in-depth article about CVTà Street Fest, the fact that the festival’s artistic director is herself a street artist implies a curation of the event that takes into account the context of the artworks and the specificity of the village. By painting in many different cities worldwide, Alice Pasquini learned that walls aren’t canvases, meaning that there is no one alike. This influenced her approach to street art and the criteria she used to choose the street artists for the festival she has been curating in her mother’s hometown since 2016.
Street Artists @ CVTà Street Fest 2023
This year’s artists line-up is no exception. Mostly made of female street artists, the line-up of CVTà 2023 anticipates a series of subtle, poetic and site-specific street interventions that will draw inspiration from the village, its traditions and the hospitable residents (as opposed to murals imposed from above, which dominate the landscape without taking the context and the local community into consideration).
Dan Witz (USA) @ CVTà Street Fest 2023
Dan Witz‘s street art practice is a testament to the power of unexpected encounters. By placing tiny yet impactful works in forgotten corners of our cities, he creates moments of surprise that draw attention to overlooked places. His work is a reminder that a wall isn’t a canvas; it’s a part of an uncontrolled environment that inevitably shapes the art created within it.
Dan Witz’s career began in New York City in the late 1970s, when his elaborate street works stood out against the bold, quickly-executed graffiti lettering that was proliferating around him. Since then, his site-specific practice has become a deeply considered exploration of the interplay between artwork, environment, and passerby.
Hera (Germany) @ CVTà Street Fest 2023
The street art of Jasmine Siddiqui (aka Hera) is a powerful tool for storytelling. With intuition and spontaneity, she creates self-contained narratives that invite the viewers into a hunting tale that speaks to both reality and fantasy by combining mythical elements with contemporary situations. Like snippets of longer stories, her murals leave viewers curious and wanting more.
Hera’s multilayered scenes are a perfect blend of text, imagery, realism, and symbolism, and her raw style, which recalls sketches, adapts seamlessly to the surrounding atmosphere and the wall itself.
Helen Bur (UK) @ CVTà Street Fest 2023
Helen Bur‘s art blurs the boundary between narrative and abstraction, creating a space where meaning is suggested rather than dictated. Her approach is poetic, blending loose, expressive brushstrokes with classic figurative elements and a remarkable sensitivity.
In her pieces, the narrative isn’t always explicitly stated, much like the complexities of life itself. Rather, she paints a feeling or a personal experience that becomes universal, with open interpretation left to the viewer. By entrusting them with finding their own meanings, she turns passive observation into active participation, transforming the public space experience.
- Read also: “Catching up with Helen Bur at Nuart Aberdeen 2019“
Ellena Lourens (South-Africa) @ CVTà Street Fest 2023
Ellena Lourens’ murals are never imposed over the city. Rather, they integrate harmoniously into the urban landscape due to her minimalist style, which is enhanced by her use of monochromatic color palettes.
Ellena Lourens employs ancient symbols, patterns, and color schemes that evoke a sense of the past, yet her work also conveys a contemporary aesthetic that speaks to modern sensibilities. By redefining emotional iconography through her intuitive approach, she creates powerful murals that captivate and inspire.
The street art festival CVTà 2023 takes place from June 2nd to 4th in Civitacampomarano, Italy
CVTà Street Fest 2023 promises to be an exciting event with a range of activities that will appeal to a diverse audience. The festival will feature captivating street art interventions, along with workshops, street art tours, and live music during the festival days from June 2 – 4. A special DJ, whose identity remains a closely guarded secret, will keep visitors and locals dancing all night long.
On a personal note, this year I’m managing the social media accounts of the street art festival and I’m eagerly looking forward to experiencing the behind-the-scenes action and bringing the festival to life online.
Stay tuned for my dispatches from Civitacampomarano, and be sure to follow CVTà Street Fest on Instagram and Facebook ;)
