Siamo creature d’aria (1) by GeometricBang | Blu Art in Rome’s 10th municipality

Funded by regional funds, the “Blu Art - i colori dell’aria” (Blu Art - the colors of the air) project is one of the measures with which the city administration aims to combat air pollution while enhancing the city’s streets and squares through art, with urban redevelopment projects involving all of the city’s municipalities.

Jungle communications agency selected five artists (Marco Oggian, ScombinAnto, Serena Gianoli, GeometricBang, and Elisabetta Vedovato) to create street art on pavements using water-based paints produced from recycled raw materials. A non-toxic compound applied to the surface helps improve air quality by absorbing pollutants (including fine and ultrafine particulate matter such as PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.5). The color palette used is reminiscent of environmental maps showing air pollution levels.

GeometricBang’s work in the 10th municipality, in Via Caterina Segurana, is based on two key themes: the environment (represented by a hypnotic color pattern) and the human beings who live and inhabit our cities, represented by stylized masks inspired by African and Aboriginal traditions. The different colors indicate a personality split in two, partly reasonable and aware of others (blue, green, yellow), partly selfish and self-referential (purple, red, orange). The work has been enriched with a pavement game (hopscotch), given its immediate proximity to a school. The work covers an area of 97 square meters: if treated with “smog-eating” paint, a surface of 100 square meters can absorb a quantity of CO₂ and polluting particulates equal to that of over 30 mature trees.

Urban artist, illustrator and graphic designer Mattia Botta, aka GeometricBang, was born in Lodi in 1984. His artistic career began in 1998 with his discovery of the world of graffiti, thanks to his encounter with important writers. His work is based on color and the study of shapes and textures, elements that blend together to create characters, animals, plants and objects that define and represent his creative universe. He has created numerous murals and participated in exhibitions and festivals in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, China, Japan and South Africa.