Padua's Super Walls Biennial Brings Street Art Renaissance

The Super Walls Biennial of Street Art returned to Padua in June 2021 after its first edition in 2019, featuring 40 artists from five European countries who created 35 murals across Padua, Abano Terme, and six other municipalities. The theme of rebirth after 15 months of COVID-19 was interpreted through works such as Alessandra Carloni's stork (symbolizing birth), Anna Conda's phoenix, and Nina Valkhoff's clouded leopard (spotted in Thailand after 20 years of 'extinction'). Paolo Psiko depicted an operating room as a tribute to medical staff. Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw painted a couple embracing on a hospital wall, inspired by her adoptive brother and his wife battling breast cancer. Parallel interventions included Venezuelan artist Koz Dos's mural at Liceo Marchesi-Fusinato in the Palestro district, referencing Giotto's starry sky and the Botanical Garden, and Roman artist Maupal's coffee pot celebrating Dante's Divine Comedy in the Arcella district. The Arcella area has historically been a hub for graffiti since the early 1990s and hosted Italy's first Meeting of Styles in 2005. The biennial also featured international artists from the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Germany, alongside local writers. The city is also awaiting UNESCO's decision on its 14th-century fresco cycles.