Pop artist transforms Renaissance building in Rome into anti-Covid symbol

 | 
10/10/2021
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Esteban Villalta Marzi is well-known in the pop art world. He was born in Rome and spent his childhood in this building constructed in the 16th century by Obra Pia to house Spaniards in Rome. It stands on the ruins of the theater of Pompeii that date back to the year 55 B.C.

For the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, Esteban Villalta Marzi was entrusted with an important task: restoring the building in which he grew up in whatever way he wanted.

He added a very personal touch to the project. With vibrant and psychedelic colors, he puts a new spin on the coronavirus.

ESTEBAN VILLALTA
“I said to myself: 'I'm going to add a big hand.' After I painted the hand, I thought, 'I'll also paint the virus, since it's something I've been avoiding a lot lately.' But I took away all the TV drama and all that sad reality. Then I thought... A hand? Of course! Like the hand of God that is there and stops the virus.”

One look at Esteban Villalta Marzi's studio is enough to see that he has all sorts of allies to help him defeat the virus. Superheroes, flamenco dancers, even the burglars from “Money Heist.”

It's precisely in honor of the characters from that series, in Spanish called “La Casa de Papel,” that he named this art exhibition “La Casa di Tela.” The paintings on the walls aren't exactly frescoes, but canvases that he later stuck to the walls. Among them is another of his inspirations: a cinema star and diva.

ESTEBAN VILLALTA
“Marilyn Monroe is an icon, and we've always included her in pop art. But I chose to take her off the pedestal, where she usually is, and make her one of us, mere mortals. Wearing the face mask like the rest of us, she gives us a bit of hope and helps us get through the pandemic.”

This artist also counts on the help of a comic book villain he's especially fond of: the Joker.

ESTEBAN VILLALTA
“During the pandemic, I saw him as a hero for lonely people who are suffering because of the pandemic; a hero for the losers. He seems to accompany and care for these people. For them, he is a hero.”

In the place he's always called home, Esteban Villalta Marzi brings together Michelangelo's David and more modern figures. But all of them share the same unique style.

-“It's history. We have to walk together.”

He wants his colorful and striking characters to communicate a message: That it's only a matter of time before we can get back on our feet, despite everything we've lost to the coronavirus.

RM

TR: CT

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