Imperia has the sea, Ormea the Alpine air, Turin cement and energy. Three locations very close to Fijodor Benzo’s heart, not only because of the connection with his autobiography, but also because of their thematic iconicity.

Mr. Fijodor, who started with graffiti art in 1994, moves in the world of urban art and contemporary muralism with a strong ecological motif, between criticism, irony and dystopian symbolism. His exuberant story tells of the vulnerability of the ecosystem, violated by the intrusion of man, who has destroyed its cycles and subordinated them to the demands of consumption.

MrFijodor’s illustrations are fictional still life, cognitively dissonant in the attribution of bright and vivid colors to a dilapidated and decadent world, irreversibly heading towards extinction. The wreckage of a washing machine transforms into the eye of a whale, the garbage dump becomes its heavy and rotting body, the metallic waters welcome its ruinous doom. MrFijodor’s narrative is both a sincere cry of accusation and an exhortation to the community: micro- actions create ecological disruption on a global scale, micro-responses can prevent intergenerational damage. It’s the butterfly effect, all it takes is a flap of wings.

© Asia Neri