Giardino nel giardino is the new mural created by James Vega at the Giardino 2 Agosto in Zambra, Sesto Fiorentino. The work, curated by Street Levels Gallery, is a collective project that, through community participation, has reactivated a sense of community within the neighborhood.

James Vega is an artist from Peru who has been working and living steadily in the Florentine area for years, where his colorful Paesaggi Toscani can be found along the streets. Over the years, in addition to his work in close contact with the street, James has carried out various research projects in the studio as well, working with spray paint to create soft, creamy textures that make his subjects reassuring and frightening at the same time.

The new mural in Zambra represents for the artist the beginning of a new aesthetic direction, still connected to the exploration of Tuscan Landscapes, yet offering greater room for a freer and more fluid language, shaped through direct interaction with the people who inhabit the space.

During the five days of work, the artist was continuously present in the neighborhood, coming into contact with all the people who inhabit the Giardini 2 Agosto. They were able to contribute with observations, comments, and suggestions, sharing stories of the neighborhood, of the old community club that no longer exists, and of the surrounding area, which still endures as a place of gathering. The colors chosen by the artist, red, blue, and purple, are also important references to the life of the community. They reflect the colors of the local football team, U.S. Zambra, which enjoys great affection from the residents of the area.

The mural has thus become a tool for dialogue, allowing a visual restitution of what moves within the garden: the figures depicted by James Vega flow along the four sides of the building, just as real people weave together, follow one another, and pass by the windows, aligning themselves with the painted plants in a horizontal reading that becomes accessible from every angle.

Small interventions created by children also appear on the wall, which the artist chose to welcome and integrate into the project, as they, too, inhabit the space and take care of it through their daily presence.
The work was preceded by a meeting with the students of the Liceo Artistico di Sesto Fiorentino, during which James Vega shared his artistic journey with the school community.

The work is part of (Ri)Genera, a project carried out with the financial support of the European Union, the Italian Republic, and the Tuscany Region, funded through the Decreto Dirigenziale della Regione Toscana n. 7920/2025.
All information is available at www.comune.sesto-fiorentino.fi.it/Rigenera

ALTRO