About the work
This sanpietrino is a piece of urban art. I found it loose on the ground, took it home, and decorated it before placing it back in the street.
Made from a gneiss mined around the Cottian Alps (separating France and Italy), these sanpietrini line the streets of Turin’s Roman city, the Quadrilatero. In fact, since the 1970s this rock has been exported around the world, from the United States to Japan, far removed from its Piedmontese home.
This particular sanpietrino was loose (there are many such stones in Turin...) and I had been inspired by the use of colour and personalisation in often grey, public spaces. In adding my design onto this otherwise anonymous public asset, I have imprinted my existence.
In this vast society of grey stones, I signal my presence, my existence, my integration into this “society” while retaining my identity. Much like a foreigner who migrates to a new country, bringing their own personality and customs to their host society.
Some loathe this detraction from the norm; others welcome this difference, which literally brings a new colour and flavour to their society.
The mess of lines and dots on the surface reflect the complexity of an individual who, when viewed from a distance, seems simple, yet as you get closer to this person, you start to observe their habits, quirks, flaws, their stories.
