108: Italian street artist on being paid, the term 'Street Art', and Italy's failures

Italian artist 108 (Guido Bisagni, born 1978 in Alessandria) criticizes the term 'Street Art' as a misused label for commercialized murals and festivals, arguing it should only apply to unsanctioned public art. He recounts his artistic journey from graffiti in 1991, influenced by skateboarding, punk, and the film 'Decoder', to studying industrial design at Politecnico di Milano and adopting the numerical tag '108'. His abstract forms appear in abandoned spaces in Milan, Berlin, London, New York, and Paris. He works across media: painting with brushes, rollers, spray, pastels; sculpture with clay, wood, papier-mâché, wire; analog printing; sound performances using old smartphones and self-built instruments. He cites Kandinsky, Malevich, Jung, Hesse, Antonin Artaud, and the Cure's 'Pornography' as influences. 108 insists artists must be paid, noting Italy lacks tax recognition for artists, favors foreign or older artists, and offers no institutional support. He credits France for sustaining his career. He calls for a cultural shift: 'The first thing to do in Italy to encourage art would be to pay artists.' The interview is by Alessia Tommasini for Artribune.