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| Raft of human rights |
Bang in the middle of the asphalted street in Sarasota, USA, was the raft carrying Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Gino Strada, Rigoberta Menchu and the young Malala, fighting a storm. They seemed real — almost! At a vantage point was a camera mounted on a tripod and a line of people snaking behind it; they were queuing up to see the historical figures — in 3D. Created by Italian street painter, Vera Bugatti, The raft of human rights was inspired by the 19th century French artist Theodore Gericault's work, Le Radeau de la Meduse.
Vera, born in Brescia, Italy, comes from the land of street painters or madonnaris (called so because of their practice of drawing images of the Madonna or Mother Mary). The 35-year-old artist has been painting the streets — of Italy, Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, USA and Mexico — with captivating art for the last seven years, and winning numerous awards and prizes.
