Revisiting Street Art in Milan

by Vivien Park

Graffiti at 18 Via Conchetta in Milan, 1992.

In the early 1990s, Alberto Boido started taking pictures of graffiti in the streets of Milan. He now returns, twenty years later, to photograph each site from the same angle. Some paintings are still visible, while others have been completely covered.

The same wall at 18 Via Conchetta, 2012.

Boido posts the before and after shots to a site called the "Old Walls Project," a tribute to the changing walls that have inspired him over the years. He also plots each location on an interactive map.

For anyone who's noticed the same graffiti in Milan, Boido's site offers a chance to retrieve these memories. Even for those of us who haven't seen the paintings, his pictures vividly highlight changes in the urban fabric over time.

Credits: Photos by Alberto Boido.

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  1. great idea! it reminds me of an amazing book called triptychs 1972-1994 by milton rogovin, who returned to buffalo's lower west side to photograph the same people at 3 different times in their lives. but this idea captures the progression of urban palimpsests. it's interesting consider whether there are any characteristics in the artwork that make some less likely to be covered over than others. or is it just random fate?