ZidArt brought together 24 artists to paint 32 fantasy graffiti artworks in Bacău, Romania.

The age of stories never ends. Not even in the most difficult times, because that's when we need them the most. In the midst of the pandemic, the Ingenious Drama association, together with the 24 magnificent artists, the army of tireless volunteers and the team of generous partners, added to the big book of Bacău another 32 fairy tales, short stories, snobs and visual fables. 32 mural paintings with soul, spread on 12 walls and 1536 sqm, of which 1360 sqm covered with air purifying paint.

The 2020 ZidArt edition was a special edition from all points of view. First of all, because it took place in times of social distancing, in which there is uncertainty and the fear of engaging in new things and projects. They believe in the therapeutic and cathartic qualities of art, but also in its mission to bring people closer, despite the distance. So they worked quietly and calmly, taking all the time they needed and respecting the norms of social distancing to bring more optimism and color to Bacău and Bacău residents.

The main topic was a very courageous one: they wanted to talk about the changes we need to make together to stop the detrimental domino effect that threatens to destroy the planet. A domino effect created by our own decisions and behaviors, which catches up with us and whose turning point was represented by the months of isolation, when time stopped in place, the sky cleared of smog, the dolphins they came closer to the shores, and in some places nature regained its rights. It turned out that change for the better is possible, and the question that the artists answered through their interventions was "how?".

Then, it's about how the story #DomiNow was written: at home, between them; with local support and community involvement. It was like a family celebration, in which childhood neighbors of the artists got involved, and local volunteers worked side by side with the guests and created an atmosphere full of dynamism and warmth. They have shown that together they can move mountains and that together they turned a local initiative into an event of national interest.

This year's edition introduced another element of novelty: 13 students from the National Art College "George Apostu" made 21 paintings on a wall of 106 square meters and did very well. They wanted ZidArt to become a platform to help young artists express themselves freely and expose their vision to the world.

ZidArt launched a discussion about values, ecology, tradition, technology, the return to nature and how man tries to play God, but ultimately fails. The artists responded brilliantly to the challenge and left us in the care of 32 phenomenal artworks, 32 wall souls that will sustain this debate for a long time to come.