Berlusconi as Pop Icon: Street Art and Media Spectacle in Italian Politics

Silvio Berlusconi, 82, remains a central figure in Italian politics, blending populism with media savvy. During 2018 consultations at the Quirinale, he staged a viral performance with Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, mimicking Salvini's speech and later grabbing the microphone to attack Alessandro Di Battista. Street artists responded: Tvboy created a poster of Salvini and Luigi Di Maio kissing, removed from a wall near the Senate; Sirante reinterpreted Caravaggio's "I Bari" (1594) with Berlusconi, Salvini, and Di Maio, also censored by Rome's municipality. Il Foglio commissioned Tvboy for a cover depicting Mattarella and Berlusconi kissing, accompanied by an editorial by Claudio Cerasa analyzing the political dynamics. The article by Helga Marsala on Artribune examines the intersection of politics, communication, and street art.