Pistoia Underground Festival – September 16-30 2011

It’s not every day that you hear about a really hip and youthful event in Tuscany. We’re inundated with classical concerts (and I have nothing against that!) and Renaissance art (ditto), but contemporary culture needs to be encouraged… and that’s something that the Pistoia Undergound Festival is doing!

I’m happy to post some information about this event that will be held September 16-30, 2011. The festival is taking place off center for Tuscany, in Pistoia, and it’s run by locals who wish to invigorate the town with alternative music, graphics, street art and other forms of creativity.

Two days of alternative music (Sept 16 & 17) represented by ten groups I’ve personally never heard of, but that look really cool, including Brunori Sas, Une Passante, Ex otago, and Thank you for the drum machine. 20 artists’ work will be on display in and around the city, with light installations, sculpture, photography and more. One of the artists featured is Sara Berti (see work below), who was chosen to represent Italy at the Biennale in Venice this year. Another is local graphic artist Jonathan Calugi, chosen by Print Mag as one of the most promising graphic designers under 30 (see his funky work posted above). You can check out the full programme on their website.