Spinazzè not only enjoys drawing food, he also works in the restaurant industry and cooks himself. Before he used his love of all things culinary to subvert hate, he was painting giant groceries, basically, on empty walls throughout northern Italy. In 2008, after a friend was killed by extreme nationalists, the artist started using his paintings to remove traces of fascist propaganda from the streets.

For Spinazzè, even the most quintessentially Italian dishes symbolize cross-cultural unity. A caprese salad of mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil is an international project and a “message that cuisine is open to the world,” he says. “The basil comes from India, the oil from Syria, the mozzarella is Italian, and tomatoes originate in Colombia.” The street artist used this salad image (top) to cover up hate graffiti from a far-right group.

Cibo’s street art is admired for its style and the substantive underpinnings. On his Facebook page, a fan recently wrote, “You are a hero.”

Still, Spinazzè receives threats from those who don’t appreciate his subversion, he says, and he doesn’t want to be the only one fighting hate with art. He urges others to join him in his mission to save Italian cities from dangerous propaganda and politics. “Unfortunately, fascism was a dark moment in our history,” he tells Vice. “The ideology, the hate, the separation that fascism promulgated is now being promoted by some of today’s parties. I’ve taken a stand because of this.”

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