O sciore cchiù felice (the happiest flower) 

“The happiest flower is the one that is able to have a secure foundation, to receive joy and nourishment.” We paraphrase the Italian muralist Fabio Petani about the name of his new piece in Parco dei Murales in Naples.

Fabio Petani. “O sciore cchiù felice”. Parco dei Murales. Napoli, Italy. April 2018. (photo © Fabio Petani)

He is speaking about flowers as a metaphor for children and families, and says that he took direct inspiration for this new mural from the observations of a group of youth who had been on a tour of this neighborhood and he observed the art and photography they created in a class after they went on the tour.

Petani says he took inspiration for the colors he chose, yellow and purple in particular, as these were the most photographed hues from the students. He says he also saw the geometry of the circle recurring so he used that shape as a formal pattern, repeated.

Fabio Petani. “O sciore cchiù felice”. Parco dei Murales. Napoli, Italy. April 2018. (photo © Fabio Petani)

Currently from Piedmont, Petani was born in 1987 in Pinerolo, Turin, Italy, and he says that his interventions are inspired by flora and he integrates the shapes occurring in nature with the geometric elements of the built environment.

He says he thinks his works are “telling a tale between art and nature through chemistry.”

Fabio Petani. “O sciore cchiù felice”. Parco dei Murales. Napoli, Italy. April 2018. (photo © Fabio Petani)

Fabio Petani. “O sciore cchiù felice”. Parco dei Murales. Napoli, Italy. April 2018. (photo © Fabio Petani)