Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/915099
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2017 News 5 TIA RELJIC LOCAL street artists have ex- pressed concern after a foreign company contacted a number of local councils in a bid to use space previously allocated to street art to put up commercial advertising, MaltaToday has learned. The company, which claims to be an 'outdoor advertising' firm that has been active in the Eu- ropean Union for eleven years has contacted local street art- ist James Micallef Grimaud and president of the Malta Street Art Collective in an attempt to commission an artist to cover the existing artwork with ad- vertisement murals. Micallef Grimaud was previ- ously assigned to manage the Bellavista mural in San Gwann, which he now fears is being tar- geted by the company, Tatra Trading Limited. "They're trying to get permits by selling the idea that the ad- verts are a creative thing that would improve the walls, even though they are nothing but blatant adverts on 6-floor mu- rals," Micallef Grimaud said. "In Malta, there are many of walls reserved for artwork, or that would be ideal to be used for street art. The coun- try shouldn't be investing in advertising in place of creative work. It's just visual pollution. An argument posed by the local council is that the wall is look- ing shabby at the moment, but I had offered to refurbish the wall a couple of years ago and they refused." Another artist involved in or- ganising the Bellavista mural, Chris de Souza Jensen, told us that although the company might be offering a significant amount of money for the adver- tising project, the artists are not amused by the offer. "We think there's lack of integrity to it," he said. The company contacted the artist with a campaign plan for 'large-scale advertisement in the form of printed vinyl net on the blind walls of buildings or mural – painted picture on the walls.' "We are currently develop- ing our business in the Maltese market and we have clients in- terested in running an advertis- ing campaign in Malta. We are interested in extending our ac- tivities to several advertising lo- cations throughout Malta," the company said in a correspond- ence with Micallef Grimaud. Such proposals are particu- larly threatening to artists due to the fact that street art is per- sistently underfunded. Execu- tive secretary of the San Gwann local council, Kurt Guillaum- ier, told this newspaper that previous proposals to restore the wall were too costly for the council. Some artwork which can be found in San Gwann was previ- ously co-financed through EU culture funds, and MSAC has sent a proposal for a new pro- ject in order to counteract the company's plans. The project aims to restore the Bellavista wall mural once per year, with each year focus- ing on a different topic. MSAC teamed up with Agenzija Zg- hazagh and other volunteers to promote a healthy environ- ment through art and continue the San Gwann legacy of artis- tic promotion through murals which will be part of the V18 list of cultural events. Guillaumier said that the mu- rals which require refurbishing are "almost an eyesore", and that if the proposal were to be given in writing to the council, the decision would be between picking the worst of two evils. If the walls are not restored and the proposals come in, he said, the choice would be between retaining the unsightly artwork or accepting to fill them with adverts. "But I am yet to receive a written proposal, and until then, the issue will not enter the agenda." Adverts in the form of pave- ment signage on bollards, come with by-laws and estab- lished fees but do not require a permit from the Planning Au- thority. However, they do need a no-objection from the local council. One such advert was recent- ly placed in front of artwork which was designed by Micallef Grimaud in collaboration with San Gwann local council and Dogs Trust, an animal welfare charity. The local council said that it will be requesting that the advert be moved so as not to obstruct the artwork. Artists up in arms over company seeking to commercialise art areas Above: A wall mural in Bellavista Road in San Gwann risks being covered by commercial advertising. Below: Pavement signage placed in front of the mural is to be moved elsewhere