Thru The Looking Glass (2023) Painting by Mengu

I was commissioned by now-beloved-friend Giovanna to do a mural for ERIFO office. I had total liberty - except for the only thing; I had to create something to uplift people. And no monsters :) The office is a step down the long way bureaucratic road of an Italian seeking job facility. For whom has any slightest experience with italian bureaucracy is easily understandable, it is already frustrating and time-consuming route by itself. Within the fact of joblessness, you can easily imagine how would it be difficult to create something uplifting. And even without monsters!

Time passed by as I sought any inspiration and as always inspiration came by an unexpected flame. I was reading Alice In Wonderland and I asked myself what if this journey was lived by not annoying spoiled brat but by us, creative spirits, adventure seekers? The original narrative was a story of growing old, nostalgia for long-lost childhood and ironically also a didactic teaching for kids about how to grow up. Growing up is dull. We should better keep wondering about the world. So, in my storyline, I first got rid of annoying Alice. She was too “grown up” to enter the wonderland. As I was imagining myself, an artist as protagonist, I realized there were also yet untold stories to invent, and those perfectly fit the “uplifting” aim!

So, I created this mural, to give the audience the inspiration of transformation, the courage to move on and endure. At the very beginning of the story, while you were with white rabbit you were not even a pawn on the 1st square, you were a newbie, a nothing. With a determined seeking you found the way and entered the first square of the chessboard( or the door of ERIFO). There were still so squares to cross (or steps to finish burocrstically). But without being a pawn you cannot become into queen. Or fatty caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. (In fact I’m writing a short story of caterpillar’s untold adventure, I will put the link when it s finished)

I envisioned the mural as a sanctuary, a place where those seeking employment could find solace and renewed hope amidst the bureaucratic labyrinth. And as they gazed upon the artist's transformative journey, they were reminded that even amidst the most daunting challenges, there lies the potential for growth, transformation, and self-discovery.

The mural, imbued with the spirit of Alice in Wonderland, became a testament to the transformative power of art, inspiring those seeking employment to embrace their inner artists, navigate the complexities of bureaucracy with courage and determination, and emerge as butterflies, ready to take flight in their creative pursuits.

Related themes

Abstract ExpressionismNeo ExpressionismAlice In WonderlandCaterpillar ButterflyTransformation