The Municipal Administration of Asiago (Vi), in collaboration with the MV Arte agency of Vicenza, presents the exhibition “Haring, Banksy, Obey: Unauthorized Freedom”, opening to the public on Friday, December 6,2024,at the Museo Le Carceri. Open until February 23,2025,the exhibition, curated by Matteo Vanzan, will explore the origins and evolution of international Street Art, a form of expression that, like a subterranean river, emerges and disappears, leaving unmistakable traces on walls around the world. The exhibition will feature works by artists considered key voices of an expression that has united entire generations since the late 1960s in New York. These include Cope 2,Delta 2,Dondi, John Fekner, King 157,Kool Koor, Indie 184,Keith Haring, JonOne, Bo 130,Microbo, Seen, Taki 183,Toxic, Banksy, D*Face, Dolk, Evyrein, Stelios Faitakis, KayOne, Logan Hicks, JR, Mike Giant, Mr. Brainwash, Obey, Slog 175,Sten and Lex, Swoon, Mr. Wany, and many more. Over 50 works will be on display, originating from Italy, Spain, France, England, and the United States. These include paintings on canvas, wood, and paper, signed screen prints, posters, memorabilia, as well as a selection of tags and sketches by Ces, Futura 2000,Phase 2,Mr. Wany, KayOne, and Slog 175,selected after more than two years of research and granted exclusively to the Municipality of Asiago (Vi). The exhibition aims to investigate the reasons and places that have allowed Street Art to develop over the last decades. The artworks will be displayed in the halls of the Museo Le Carceri, accompanied by a soundtrack featuring hip-hop, rock, punk, and electronic tracks by artists such as Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, N. W.A, KRS-One, Blur, Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Offspring, Bad Religion, Rage Against the Machine, and many others, immersing visitors in the tight synergy between music and visual arts in the underground scene. “This is yet another resonant exhibition for the City of Asiago, ” stated Asiago’s Mayor, Roberto Rigoni Stern. “A historical, geographical, and tourist hub, today more than ever, Asiago has distinguished itself through its intense research, growth, and cultural promotion activities, earning regional and local acclaim. With great interest, the Museo Le Carceri opens the upcoming winter season of 2024–2025,hosting an exhibition that embodies a unique form of modern art expression originating from the graffiti movement that spread in New York during the 1960s and 1970s: Street Art. Curated by Matteo Vanzan and MV Arte, the exhibition takes place in the Le Carceri museum, an environment that skillfully engages with various techniques—painting, sculpture, spray paint—based on different goals and concepts. On behalf of the City Administration, I wish the greatest success for this new exhibition, which conveys the essence of modern expressive art through the works of artists who, with intuitive genius, articulate introspective lines that intertwine figurative and abstract languages, opening our city to a new world. ”

Deputy Mayor and Cultural Councillor Ludovica Tondello added: “We are thrilled to welcome the international Street Art exhibition ‘Unauthorized Freedom’ to our prestigious Museo Le Carceri. This exhibition takes us on a journey that starts on the streets of New York in the late 1960s and continues to the present, exploring the myriad voices and nuances that have made Street Art a global movement and a profoundly contemporary artistic language. During this holiday season, our city is enriched by an exhibition that invites reflection and inspiration. Street Art has often captured society's critical issues, aspiring for change and using the streets as a space for expression and direct dialogue with the community. Through this exhibition, Asiago seeks to amplify this dialogue, embracing an art form that often exists outside traditional museum settings by bringing these significant figures into our museum. ”

Curator Matteo Vanzan explains: “The exhibition is designed as both an artistic and scientific exploration of what is now commonly defined as Street Art, a fascinating, untamable subculture still shrouded in mystery. Emerging suddenly from the underground to enter mainstream channels through figures like Keith Haring, Banksy, and Obey, these artists represent the tip of a much deeper iceberg. Street Art is a world of attitude, unwritten rules, and internal codes practiced in non-places like subways, underpasses, or walls worldwide. It is boundless art extending to every corner of the globe, capturing the voices of a humanity with an urgent need to express itself. ”

With ever-changing forms and fresh content, Street Art is fascinating, alternative, and simultaneously mainstream, becoming institutionalized since the 1980s through the art system's embrace. Renowned New York galleries began showcasing individuals who were not initially considered artists, propelling figures like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat into legend. Today, Banksy embodies a legacy rooted in the U. S. subways of the 1960s, flourishing in the 1970s, and crystallized during the social upheavals of 1968.This era marked the emergence of a counterculture that renewed styles, languages, and expressive forms, leading to the birth of Street Art. Messages inscribed on walls express dissent and reclaim spaces free from the constraints of official circuits, creating a global chorus that speaks directly to the public, giving art a new dimension of meaning. Complementing the exhibition is a schedule of related events, including artist talks, conferences, presentations, and contests aimed at young people. Highlights include the December 21 event “Banksy Is as Banksy Does! ” with curator Matteo Vanzan, featuring a guided exhibition tour; a meeting with KayOne on February 1,2025,where he will present his book “Vecchia Scuola: Graffiti Writing a Milano”; and a February 15 talk by Mr. Wany, presenting his monograph “Wild and Free”. The events culminate with a contest for youths aged 12–22 titled “Walls: Stories They Tell”, inviting participants to convey the essence of Street Art through a photograph. The exhibition will be open to the public from December 6,2024,to February 23,2025,with specific hours available on designated days. Further details can be found at www. Asiago. To.