Contemporary and modern art engage in harmonious dialogue in the latest project by the Guerrilla Spam collective, which was founded in November 2010 in Florence as a spontaneous, unauthorized urban space intervention. Their poetic language alternates between poster installations and public muralism both in Italy and abroad. The exhibition, inaugurated on May 2nd and hosted at the Street Levels Gallery, aims to highlight the microcosm the artists have explored and inhabited over the years. From West to East, traversing cultures and traditions that are often diametrically opposed, the exhibition invites visitors on a timeless, ascensional journey. The starting point chosen for the exhibition is the art of Jacopo Carucci, known as Pontormo. An artist known for his acidic tones, elongated figures, and melancholic gazes, Pontormo created, in the 1530s and at the request of Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, a decorative project for the choir of San Lorenzo in Florence. Due to his death, the work was completed by his student Bronzino. Described by Vasari as “outside all rules,” the frescoes were later removed to make way for large windows and a plain white wall. It is from this very blank space that the collective now resumes its narrative, ten years later, to recount a world imbued with new poetic, historical, and cultural echoes—both near and especially far.
Guerrilla Spam, “Di mondi lontanissimi, delle perdute pitture di Pontormo e altro ancora”. Installation Views. Courtesy Street Levels Gallery, Firenze, 2025. Ph. by Leonardo Chiarabini.
Carlotta Thione: Let’s begin with the title: “Of Faraway Worlds, the Lost Paintings of Pontormo and Much More.” Would you define it for us?
Guerrilla Spam: The title of the exhibition holds great significance, just like the titles of the works on display. In our case, the title is something that completes the image—the word complements the visual and aids interpretation. We’ve always been slightly bothered by “untitled” works, even though at times that choice may be justified. In our case, “Of Faraway Worlds…” is an encyclopedic and exaggerated title (it’s a 60-character phrase). As a whole, it encapsulates some of the worlds we’ve explored over the years, which are represented in the images of our works, but need to be actively sought out.
Guerrilla Spam, “Di mondi lontanissimi, delle perdute pitture di Pontormo e altro ancora”. Installation Views. Courtesy Street Levels Gallery, Firenze, 2025. Ph. by Leonardo Chiarabini.
How is the exhibition path structured?
It begins with a series of “black” works in dark, desaturated tones, then moves toward “white” works—light and luminous—and finally arrives at a series of colorful works that echo the pastel and acidic tones of Pontormo’s painting. This path essentially represents a transition from darkness to color, with the moment of transition embodied by light. It’s an ascent toward discovery—of symbols, others, and oneself—through the process of seeking. It is no coincidence that some of the white panels depict a symposium, in the Greek sense, where different subjects gather and sit together to drink, talk, reflect, and exchange ideas. Our vision of research and growth is also solitary and individual, but often convivial and driven by sharing.
Guerrilla Spam, “Di mondi lontanissimi, delle perdute pitture di Pontormo e altro ancora”. Installation Views. Courtesy Street Levels Gallery, Firenze, 2025. Ph. by Leonardo Chiarabini.
What element do you believe connects your art to Pontormo’s?
Stylistically, we are far from Pontormo; today, we are more influenced by the marks and symbols of rock carvings, Aboriginal art, and so-called primitive cultures. But from Pontormo—as from many other artistic, literary, and musical sources—we have drawn various elements. In this exhibition, our use of color is entirely inspired by his “manner”: we studied the tones of his “Deposition,” which we’ve admired in person countless times. We’ve examined it in the morning, in the evening, in summer and winter, under sun and clouds, with every possible variation of light and color (and this is very important). Finally, we must mention the lost frescoes of San Lorenzo, which Pontormo painted but were later entirely removed, in part due to their unconventional, even heretical nature. Only sketches remain—compositions can be imagined, but the colors must be invented, since all the drawings are in charcoal. We have a specific project in mind about this, and we are waiting for the right moment to bring it to life.
Guerrilla Spam, “Di mondi lontanissimi, delle perdute pitture di Pontormo e altro ancora”. Installation Views. Courtesy Street Levels Gallery, Firenze, 2025. Ph. by Leonardo Chiarabini.
What do you consider to be a fundamental element of your artistic practice?
Certainly, contact with people. Our project began with a series of poster installations in public spaces. Over time, we’ve changed styles and themes, iconographies and messages, but we’ve remained tied to the urban environment. This is because we care about the dialogue and exchange that interaction with others brings. If we didn’t, we would have chosen more solitary careers. At the same time, we’re drawn to an “other” who is active, like us, not passive. Thinking back, the first posters we drew, filled with irreverent criticism, were meant to provoke the public, to spark reactions—the same mechanism we now use, with different methods and languages, in schools, communities, and prisons to interact with others (not act but interact). Now, by working in public spaces throughout the 2010–2020 decade using these methods, we’ve been labeled as Street Artists, part of what’s called Street Art or Urban Art. We accept this label, though we don’t feel entirely part of it. If we had to name references, we feel closer to figures like Ugo La Pietra, Franco Mazzucchelli, or Franco Summa—artists who were already using public space in unexpected and playful ways in the 1970s and 1980s.
Carlotta Thione
Info:
AA.VV.: Di mondi lontanissimi, delle perdute pitture di Pontormo e altro ancora
02/ 05/ 2025 – 15/ 06/ 2025
Street Levels Gallery, via Melegnano 4 AR, 50123, Firenze
www.streetlevelsgallery.com
Carlotta Thione (Cuorgnè, 1999), is a Contemporary Art Historian and editorial collaborator of several magazines. She is also the author of texts and critical insights for exhibitions and moderator of cultural events. Her interests focus not only on contemporary art, but also on Italian songwriting.
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