All in all, it’s just another mark on the wall…? Critical perspectives on sustainability and mural art in Italy

This contribution explores the relationship between sustainability and mural art, framing culture as the fourth crucial pillar of sustainable development. Adopting a distinction between “culture for sustainability” (representation) and “culture as sustainability” (material practice), the study employs a multi-method approach (literature review, documentary analysis, and semi-structured interviews with Italian street artists) to investigate the role of muralism in local development. The analysis reveals a dichotomy within the rise of “green muralism”. While institutional projects spread narratives about sustainability, some local movements criticise the risks of artwashing and the depoliticisation of public space. By examining the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability, the article highlights complex trade-offs: economic development versus the risks of gentrification; social cohesion versus museophobia and exclusion; environmental awareness versus the technical limitations of “smog-eating” paints and greenwashing. The contribution of mural art to sustainability, therefore, cannot be reduced to aesthetic or temporary interventions. Instead, this article proposes the framework of territorialised art as a necessary condition for moving from superficial decoration to true territorial sustainability.