Proto Street Art in Ljubljana in the 1980s and 1990s

The Case of Mizzart

  • Helena Konda
Keywords: proto-street art, street art, graffiti, Mizzart, Ljubljana

Abstract

Mizzart, a collective of students from different artistic fields, created large-scale paintings in the urban landscape in Ljubljana in the 1980s and 1990s. Their independent artistic practices in public space in the 1980s and 1990s could be described as ‘proto-street art’ – a new avenue of contemporary research in graffiti and street art studies. Based on a brief historical introduction of genealogical connections between street art and graffiti, upgraded with Rafael Schacter's classification of 'street art' as a defined artistic period, the article identifies the main characteristics of ‘proto-street art’, which are: the time of occurrence, agents, spontaneity/sovereignty, iconography, site specificity, unprofitability and interaction with public. Mizzart’s ephemeral cultural heritage is analysed by the proposed seven key formal elements of ‘proto-street art’.

Published
2024-05-07
How to Cite
Konda, H. (2024). Proto Street Art in Ljubljana in the 1980s and 1990s. SAUC - Street Art and Urban Creativity, 10(1), 26 - 39. https://doi.org/10.25765/sauc.v10i1.917