Artists Christian Rebecchi and Pablo Togni, known as NEVERCREW, excel at integrating the vastness of nature into urban settings. Their vibrant, large-scale murals creatively depict animals by blending them with other elements like instant photos or, more recently, a plastic punch-out toy. Their piece “Souvenir,” completed this year in Vienna, features a large bear intertwined with Arctic symbols such as icebergs, a seabird, and a steamship.
In a statement, the artists explain, “The natural environment appears transformed, filtered, made artificial: it is no longer a space experienced through relationship, but a distant construction.” They describe their work as “almost a simulation reflecting a perception of nature progressively emptied of empathy…Nature becomes something to observe, arrange, organize, as if it were a separate object rather than a system of which we are an integral part.”
In recent years, NEVERCREW has completed numerous architectural paintings that explore the delicate balance between humans and nature, particularly wildlife. They depict whales, bears, and elephants inside terrariums or wrapped in fabrics.
The depiction of animals on building walls, confined within architectural limits, serves as a reminder of the conflict between daily human activities and urban infrastructure. For Rebecchi and Togni, introducing nature into these spaces emphasizes the necessity of maintaining the connection between humans and nature.
Discover more on the artists’ Instagram.
