Zed1's No Poverty

The city of Turin, along with Lavazza, the city’s well-known coffee brand, decided to involve 17 urban artists for the realization of murals throughout the city, transforming the United Nations Global Goals into 17 Street Art works.

ZED1 has been called to complete the #1 goal, “NO POVERTY” it is also the title he chose for this piece of art.

Ending all forms of poverty in the world is actually not just an economic question. Poverty can take many forms and is triggered by numerous causes such as wars, hunger, limited access to adequate education, social and cultural conditions, discrimination, and any denial in the decision-making processes of today’s societies. In 2014, 42,000 people each day left their homes due to conflicts. Today, approximately 836 million people in the world live in extreme poverty, with less than $1.25 a day, and the vast majority of them are concentrated in highly exploited countries such as the Sub-Saharan or the South Asian regions.

It has not been easy to find the right idea to investigate a theme so wide and complex to its fullest, so ZED1 has created a content that requires a deeper understanding and a closer look to be taken, instead of the expected educational composition.

A shining sun filters through the evil clouds bringing wars, hunger, exploitation, pollution, corruption and diseases; the sun rays illuminate a wallet full of land where a lush bud is dawning. From there, a character materializes: he’s carrying a coin, some bread and a house, as opposed to the shaded areas where the flowers are withered by the barren soil. From left to right, the wicked clouds are the representations of:

• corruption, in the shape of a man wearing a balaclava and holding a briefcase full of money

• lack of adequate education, in the shape of a broken book

• war and imprisonment, represented by a machine gun and some barbed wire

• the health system disservice, represented by a Red Cross falling sign

• the issue of living in dangerous places, shown through a ruined building

• the lack of resources, represented by a broken rake

• pollution, shown with a crude oil barrel

The hands holding up the wallet are the same ones that take care of removing the clouds, because only the conscious actions of mankind can bring the real change.