September 22, 2015 Eddie Shanahan

FIERA DELLE GRAZIE

fiera delle grazieFiera Delle Grazie is a four day festival, held in mid August, in the village of Grazie outside Mantova. It is rooted in the old Christian celebration of the Feast of the Assumption.

”…artists rub and scrape their pigments, chalks and crayons on the bare street surface… colours glow with an engaging intensity…”

The fair now features art, food and a meandering market that winds through and around the tiny hamlet. The centrepiece is a competition for pavement artists who come from Europe, the Americas and the East. They rub and scrape their pigments, chalks and crayons on the bare street surface, describing scenes from religious or secular life. Admirers stalk the slowly evolving narratives as colours glow with an engaging intensity. Garments flow or furl, skin radiates a medieval or more contemporary beauty.

A small town throws open its arms in welcome with real creativity and imagination.