Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood is home to the Temporary Love Gallery, the self-proclaimed “trendiest shop in town.” It’s an art gallery that’s gone retail. Or it’s a shop that’s decided to exhibit Rome’s hippest artists. Either way, we fully concur with the superlative in the title they’ve granted themselves. They’ve got art and they’ve got fashion and accessories. And, you won’t find the stuff in their gallery/store anywhere else.
This weekend, as part of Rome’s La Notte Bianca celebrations, the Temporary Love Gallery hosted an exhibition called “Urban Victims” offering up artworks by street artists Lex, Lucamaleonte, and Sten for sale, including compelling prints and interesting accessories featuring versions of their stencil and sticker images.
In addition to the opportunity to admire the work of these post-graffiti artists up-close and in-person, the celebratory evening at the Temporary Love Gallery gave Romans a chance to preview a new video about the legendary skater and artist, Papik Rossi. Called “Streetness”, the video was projected on a wall outside the gallery.
Who is Papik Rossi? He’s a Roman street artist and photographer who started to skate in 1987 with the pioneers of the Italian scene. By the 90s, he was flying over to the US every year to check out the happenings in New York and San Francisco. The inspiration he found in California provoked him to create a line of clothing called Trvstever in 1996.
Rossi has published a book called Just Push the Buttons in conjunction with the brands Slam Jam, Stussy, and Carhartt, and a monograph about him, Mr. Rossi, was published by Drago in July 2007. As well, he’s the designer of a sofa that can be transformed into a skateable structure. Called “Gattone,” it was introduced at the Urban Edge exhibit in Milan in 2004.
Temporary Love Gallery. Via di San Calisto, 9. Rome. Phone 06 583 34772. info@temporarylove.net and www.myspace.com/temporarylove_roma
