Luca Rancy on Street Art, Urban Art, and the Poli Urban Colors Project for Milan Design Week

Italian street artist and designer Luca Rancy discusses his upcoming Poli Urban Colors project for Milan Design Week (April 9-14), where he will paint alongside artists 2501, Luca Barcellona, Zedz, and twenty Politecnico di Milano students at the Bovisa design and engineering campus. The project is sponsored by Municipio 9 and the Comune di Milano. Rancy, a Politecnico graduate in graphic design, interior design, web design, advertising, and fashion, has collaborated with Elio Fiorucci (2011, 2012), Mr. Wany, and Zoow 24, and exhibited at Triennale di Milano (2006, 2011) and PAC. He distinguishes street art as unauthorized work with a graffiti background and a protest message, while urban art is authorized, focuses on aesthetic renewal, and may carry a message. Rancy criticizes Italy's lag in urban art culture compared to France, Germany, and Eastern Europe, and hopes for more opportunities for contemporary urban art. His artistic references include 1970s-80s New York graffiti and urban artists like Lowbros, Sobekcis, Orphe, Pantone, Rime, Muro, and Pichiavo. He values authenticity and a graffiti background for credibility. Among emerging artists, he admires Aloha Project for video art. His favorite works include the Milano chair designed with Elio Fiorucci for Triennale and the Volere è potere project with Ozmo and Zed1. He predicts more non-street artists will enter urban art, and curators will shape its character.