Bacău breathes through color once again. Between August 30 and September 5, the ZIDART International Street Art Festival returns for its eighth edition, bringing to the city’s walls a theme with deeply human resonance: MENTAL WALL BEING.
If the 2024 edition, Civic Expressions, focused on belonging and shared spaces, this year the spotlight shifts to a more fragile and intimate area: mental health. The city’s outer walls become metaphors for the invisible barriers we all carry inside – fears, pressures, anxieties, but also resilience and hope.
“Mural art has the power to transform an everyday space into a place of collective reflection. With MENTAL WALL BEING, we want to show that walls don’t separate, they can bring people together, creating an authentic dialogue about inner balance and empathy,” say the festival organizers.
Walls that speak
The works of the invited artists will be displayed across Bacău, each address turning into a cultural landmark:
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Medianeras (Spain) – 39 Vasile Alecsandri St.
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Karskione (Netherlands) – 1 Libertății St.
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Patricia Mariano (Portugal) – 45 Banca Națională St.
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Conse (Spain) – 9 Stadionului St.
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Zmaja (Serbia) – 85 Miron Costin St.
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Sbah (Spain) – “Ion Ghica” Economic High School
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Alexa Lincu (Romania) – urban installations that complete the visual route with an immersive experience
Each piece is a collective mirror—a meeting point between the artists’ emotions and the community’s lived experiences. Stylized figures, vibrant compositions, painted architectures and interventions that go beyond aesthetics all speak of fragility, hope, and the strength to move forward.
Between the island and the city
The festival features two key moments for the public:
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August 30 – Tihna Island: Opening event with live painting, music, and relaxed talks on urban art.
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September 5 – Tihna Island: Closing event with screenings, performances, and direct encounters with the artists.
Between these dates, the city itself becomes an open stage. The ZIDART visual route turns into a cultural journey inviting people to slow down, breathe, and let themselves be touched by the power of color.
More than street art
ZIDART 2025 is not just about the beauty of murals. It is a cultural platform taking on the mission of speaking openly about emotional health—a subject often ignored or stigmatized. In an urban world strained by agitation, pressure, and anxiety, the festival proposes art as both antidote and collective healing.
“We don’t just paint walls. We paint emotions, stories, vulnerabilities. What remains on these buildings is, in fact, a testimony of the city’s spirit,” said one of the guest artists.
Collective gratitude
The MENTAL WALL BEING edition is made possible through the involvement of artists, partners, sponsors, volunteers, and a community that has understood street art is not mere decoration, but a form of dialogue and reflection. This September, Bacău will not just be a city with colorful walls, but a community taking a deeper look into its soul.
