Street Levels Gallery: Florence's First Street Art Gallery

Street Levels Gallery, the first gallery in Florence entirely dedicated to street art, urban art, and graffiti writing, opened on December 18, 2016, with the exhibition UNITY WANTED. It was founded by five local artists—Zeus OCZB, Ache77, Marco Viola, Lorenzo Loizzi, and 17Dan—along with cultural producers Matteo Bidini and Gianluca Milli from the Florentine collective Progeas Family. The space, originally an artist studio since 2013 in a garage near Santa Maria Novella station, was transformed into a gallery and creative hub featuring exhibition space, offices, a carpentry workshop, a shower for spray work, and a chill area. The gallery focuses on artists who interact with public space, often young and innovative, and aims to highlight Florence's paradoxes. It also curates public interventions, workshops, and collaborations. Notable artists exhibited include Hogre, DoubleWhy, and Illustre Feccia. The gallery's curators—Bidini, Milli, and Sofia Bonacchi—criticize the superficial treatment of street art by Italian institutions and the rise of speculative projects, while praising initiatives like Fame, Urban Vision, and Draw the Line. They have worked in Romania and the Netherlands, noting the latter's stronger support for street art. Future plans include urban art projects, school workshops, residencies, and exhibitions at the Florence Biennale with Ache77, NemO's, and Mr. Wany, as well as a project with Exit Enter in an abandoned factory and a residency with Elfo.