CHEAP Festival: How Paper-Based Street Art Balances Curatorial Practice and Activism

Pia Diamandis -

Held annually in Bologna, Italy, CHEAP Festival was founded by 6 women artists in 2013 to investigate how paper-based street art can balance the art world curatorial practice with activism. They created a unique festival held city-wide, where paper-based artworks and posters are pasted in public spaces throughout Bologna.  This means the festival is free for the public to enjoy, showing its commitment to making art accessible for all. 

Poster by GraphSix Matteo Nuti (@gr4phs1x), exhibited in F*ck War by CHEAP Festival. Photographed by Michele Lapini. Image courtesy of @cheapfestival/Instagram.

Pieces showcased at CHEAP will always reflect social, economic, political and environmental issues. This is done to showcase how art can also raise public awareness of these issues. Each year, the festival hosts an open call to give space for artists of all backgrounds to participate in the festival, including young and emerging artists, to have the space to grow their career as artists. All this is why the work carried out by CHEAP Festival is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Quality Education and Reduced Inequalities.

Made in the U.S.A by Donk (@donklondon), exhibited in F*ck War by CHEAP Festival. Photographed by Michele Lapini. Image courtesy of @cheapfestival/Instagram.

The 2024 edition of CHEAP Festival was titled F*ck War and called explicitly for anti-war works. Without a doubt, this is because of today’s reality where war wages on in multiple parts of the world, from the Israeli enacted Middle East conflicts and its genocide in Palestine to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. CHEAP Festival asks artists to reflect on these events on paper. “We invite you to desert the imagery of war, to sabotage the rhetoric that sustains it, to smuggle symbolic orders that delegitimize it,” write the festival organizers. As a result, 662 artists from 41 countries have enrolled and 163 posters were selected for display, demonstrating the people’s resistance against war.

Poster by MTT, exhibited in F*ck War by CHEAP Festival. Photographed by Michele Lapini. Image courtesy of @cheapfestival/Instagram.

CHEAP Festival embodies the power of street art as a platform for activism, community engagement and artistic expression. By making art accessible to everyone and addressing critical social, political and environmental issues, the festival redefines the role of public spaces as sites for cultural enrichment and advocacy. This year's theme, F*ck War, underscores the festival's dedication to peace and resistance against violence, inviting global artists to confront and critique war narratives visually. Through these efforts, CHEAP Festival fosters awareness, inclusivity and empowerment through art.

Find out more about CHEAP Festival and their initiatives on their website www.cheapfestival.it or Instagram @cheapfestival.