A giant wolf rises on the façade of a public housing building in via Palmanova 59. It was created by artist Lucamaleonte, who conceived the mural during lockdown.
A wolf has appeared on the façade of a public housing building at via Palmanova 59, in Milan. It is a giant mural, 150 square metres in size, that artist Lucamaleonte has created on the blank wall of a building that in 2018 was the scene of an unpleasant eviction of twelve illegally occupied flats spread across two floors. The building is owned by the Comune di Milano, which granted permission for the work under the direction of the collective Orticanoodles, already well versed in urban art, and with the support of the Fondazione Arrigo e Pia Pini.
The work depicts a wolf emerging from behind a tree, as an invitation to face one's fears with courage and intelligence, respecting the natural order, and forms part of the project Milano Arte Natura Inclusione – Mani, already at its third stage following the Cdd Anfossi in Municipio 4 and the area of via Guerzoni, with the involvement of the associations L'Amico Charly and Rob de Matt, in Municipio 9.
Lucamaleonte, a Roman artist visiting the city of Milan for the first time, has covered the entire façade of the small building that provides access to the large courtyard of the public housing complex with a symbol of nature, reminding us of the importance of our Planet and inviting us to treat it with respect. "The drawing of the wolf," the artist explains, "was conceived during the lockdown period, when we watched helplessly as our cities emptied out and almost all productive activity ground to a halt.
The wolf represents something wild and profoundly natural that arrived in 2020 and took over our lives — lives so thoroughly urban. The wolf evokes the centrality of nature in a world of machines, roads and buildings, in a society of relationships that leads us, all too often, to lose touch with our instincts and with that root common to all human beings as living creatures, and therefore as equals. This wolf in via Palmanova embodies the pride and calm of one who has the entire world as home; for this reason we give it to the city of Milan and to the homes of via Palmanova, as a symbol of protection, care and safety."
These very days, Pao, another artist well known on the street art scene, is carrying out street art interventions alongside ten young people from the Centro di aggregazione giovanile Tarabella, in the streets around Palmanova: not only to tell stories, but to give the youngest participants hands-on experience of urban art.
Also on hand to underline the importance of culture, in all its forms, as a means of redeeming the outskirts of the city is Gabriele Rabaiotti, councillor for social and housing policies, who explains: "Murals, theatre, cinema alongside sport, play, academic support and activities for the very young are some of the initiatives we are bringing into the courtyards of public housing estates.
We know that the area of need is vast, that greater attention to maintenance is required, that in some neighbourhoods respect for the rules of living together is decisive, but we also know that we must keep channelling as much energy as possible into the housing estates of Milan's working-class neighbourhoods. There is a great deal of demanding work to be done, and culture is fundamental to restoring dignity and redeeming those parts of the city that for too long we have neglected." A fine example of urban regeneration that instils a little hope for the months ahead.