Muralism and Cultural Identity, the project presentation in Villamar

An idea that goes against the trend and decides to invest in culture, an intangible and immaterial asset that can pay off in the medium and long term, bringing significant economic benefits with the aim of creating a circuit that can also be used for tourism . In this context, the study and analysis of the entire cultural heritage fits in, which boasts a glorious past during the Middle Ages, first within the Giudicato of Arborea, then of the Crown of Aragon, and even further back in time as evidenced by the Punic necropolis within the town, with paintings on the walls, an ancient omen of the most modern artistic inclination, up to the Bronze Age of which twelve nuraghi remain.

The decoding of iconographic/symbolic topics and codes is entrusted to the artist/designer from Cagliari Mara Damiani , who will develop graphic symbols with a strong and immediate identity value aimed at creating a brand identity, that is, all that visual communication material capable of immediately identifying the project in relation to the town of Villamar and its historical and artistic heritage.

With its approximately 100 murals, Villamar is certainly, together with Orgosolo and San Sperate, an important reality for the art of murals in Sardinia . The movement manifested itself in the 70s, thanks to the interventions of the artist from Villamar Antioco Cotza, in close relation with the Serramanna Artistic Group and the friendship with the Chilean exiles Alan Jofré and Uriel Parvex who fled Chile following the suppression of Salvador Allende. It is evident in the murals of those years how the socio-political connotation and the newfound interest in the anthropological and civil heritage of Sardinia, meet the Chilean figurations especially in the choice of strong and decisive colors. If in the murals of Cotza and his fellow citizen Rinaldo Pitzalis, there are tones of social denunciation, the figurative works of the artist from Villamar Antonio Sanna, instead tell of landscapes, moments of daily life, work in the fields, children, women and men, glimpses and places of Villamar.

These artists, very active in the Seventies and Eighties, continued to paint and sometimes repaint the existing murals, allowing continuity to the mural tradition of Villamar by extending the mural paintings from the historic center and the "Majorcan district", so called because of the presence of merchants from Palma de Mallorca in the 14th and 15th centuries, to various streets of the town. The themes of denunciation and social protest of the beginning, in recent years have given way to new styles, creating a fascinating mix between the historical-political muralism typical of the island tradition and the street art consecrated by the recent work of the Cagliari artist Manu Invisible .

The aim of the Muralism and Cultural Identity project is therefore to bring attention back to this open-air museum , which sings the deep soul of its people, the aspiration for peace, the rejection of war and the exploitation of men and nature.

(Online Union)