MURAL M1NUTE #4: NEVERCREW bringing back childhood 'SOUVENIR' in Vienna, AUT.
A full façade in Vienna becomes a giant, impossible-to-ignore assembly kit in Nevercrew’s latest mural.
For the Klima Biennale Wien, the Swiss duo Nevercrew created Souvenir, a mural that uses the visual language of play to talk about anything but. Curated by Calle Libre and promoted by KunstHausWien, the work appears light and approachable at first glance, an oversized assembly kit, a reconstructed natural world, yet it carries a sharp critique of how we perceive, package, and distance ourselves from the climate crisis. We spoke with Nevercrew about the ideas behind the piece.
1. From intial spark to the finished mural
This idea was in our minds in a rough way since a lot of time, but we never found the right context or specific way to use it.
Since years we work with artificial elements associated to the relationship between humans and nature and as well on the use of the concept of game and “playing” to recall an idea of carefree that could be both intended as a pure attitude and as an extreme superficiality
When Klima Biennale proposed us their topics and when we saw the wall with its peculiarities, we visualized this kind of structural approach and we decided to work on it.
2. Your work often deals with systems and interconnections, how did you translate the climate crisis into this idea of a “controlled, almost simulated” natural environment?
We work since years on the perception that humans have of nature because we think that this relationship is incredibly symbolic of a wider vision of how human systems, for the way they’re structured and for their economical politics, inflict damage in themselves.
From this point of view, we see a very detached perception both of the social and the natural environment, primarily given by the politics that have been carried out and from the values that these have expressed and express; a lack of empathy and a lack of awareness that we think could be translated and resumed in the idea of something that could be disposed of at will, without implications.
In this idea, climate crisis easily became a simple object with very simple references: something that’s very clear, easy to read, but still apparently far, belonging to another dimension; something that seems to be easily managed and especially managed on the base of human will.
3. ‘Souvenir’ uses the language of play and assembly kits. What made this visual metaphor the right vehicle for such a heavy topic?
As written, this is one of the ways we choose since years to symbolize the relationship between humans and nature.
In this specific case we felt that the idea of someone playing with a plastic kit, the idea of pieces that could be removed and placed somewhere at will could be a strong connection with the feeling of detachment we wanted to express.
Moreover, there are also the materials (the plastic) that could look playfull, but that in our vision have also a sad side and could be seen also as a violent transformation, and there is the structure itself, that suggests fragility, forcing and the idea of a distorted and anthropocentric perception of reality.
4. You describe an “apparent lightness” that hides deeper tensions. How do you balance visual appeal with critical urgency without diluting either?
This is an aspect on which we try to work since the beginning of our path and of course it is based on our our sensitivity and on our personal vision, and for that reason we cannot completely judge if we’re really not diluting one of the sides. Said so, our aim is exactly to try to find the balance between these perspectives, “playing” with the elements to enhance the interaction, both with people and with the place, to create a communication based on a common base in which to evoke all the ideas or the connections we want to address. We think that this contrast between the lightness and the weight of the topics, for the way we like to communicate, is an interesting way to propose the subjects and to evoke feelings, but of course for each project we have to think carefully specifically on this delicate balance and ask ourselves each time what we’re communicating, how it can be read and the, of course, decide what to do on the base on our, already mentioned, sensitivity, personal vision and experience.
5. Industrial materials like plastic appear prominently. What role does this material symbolism play in the narrative of the piece?
The plastic here is a strong element for many reasons. At first we have natural elements converted in an artificial material, and this already talks about the detachment we see in the perception humans have of their environment and about the attitude of disposing of natural resources at will.
Secondly, we have a connection with industrial production, pollution and waste, since plastic is strongly involved in all these aspects.
Last but not least, we have a reconstructed, not real, environment, that together with the title of the artwork, could evoke both the superficial translation of an urgency in a simplified and weakened version or a merchandising object (so with another relation to production and economical aspects), and a reproduction of something from the past, so that’s no more existing.
6. “Souvenir” suggests memory, distance, and reduction. What do you hope viewers will remember, or realize, after encountering the work?
Exactly what you wrote: memory, distance and reduction are at the base of the idea. As we are aware that someone will perceive the artwork in its own personal way (and we like it), what we hope is to evoke feelings about it and about the topic it is about, where then everyone can proceed with their own chain of thoughts. In general, we would love that people would feel the contrast between the playful aspect and the urgency that it’s represented, or in any case just to recognize the narrative that’s inside it.
7. The mural implies that nature has become something we observe rather than inhabit. How does this idea reflect your broader artistic practice?
It is one of the main ideas on which we work on:
the perception humans have of nature and in general of their environment, the so the relationships between personal, local, global, intended both from the environmental and the social point of view.
The idea of perceiving the position we have in an overall balance is strongly present in our work since the beginning, and this is why, even outside of the natural subjects, we always worked with elements that could talk about it. We think, as for example, about our astronauts, that we have always used as a representation of a different perspective, of someone that’s able to see the planet / the human condition from the outside, as a whole; our painted reflections of the real places, that are mirrors, a way to connect and confront the subjects that are involved (including the place and the viewers).
8. Vienna is a city with strong environmental discourse. Did the local context shape the way you constructed the mural’s message?
Yes, in the way we’re been invited by a Biennale centered on the climate and environmental aspects, that’s something that strongly represents the sensitivity of its contexts. Then of course, we’ve been invited specifically because these are the topics we usually work on and try to address, so there was no need to shape our mural message, but we surely found a context in which comunicate directly.
9. Your work often highlights the consequences of human systems. What specific “altered relationships” did you want to make visible here?
The idea of detachment from a natural dimension given by the global politics and by the human systems, that appear to have been built for needs other than those of the people, for which they were supposed to be built for. The idea of a lack of awareness and empathy, so of a superficial perception. The idea of a simplification and of a removal from an overall balance, so from the ability to perceive the problems and possible consequences also if they’re clearly visible. The idea of an anthropocentric attitude.
10. There’s a tension between the playful format and the irreversible processes you reference. What reactions or frictions do you hope this contrast triggers in passers-by?
As written, in this “souvenir” there’s the idea of something that’s disposable, but that should not be seen in this way; and this is the main contrast on which are based all the other concepts related to it. To simplify it a lot, we would like to evoke the feeling that there’s something wrong.
11. If “Souvenir” is a condensed fragment of responsibility, what larger conversation do you hope it opens within the Klima Biennale and beyond?
We don’t know if this will open a new larger conversation, but we hope that it will take part in the existing ones. Because this is also the point:
there’re already many conversations about the issues that we try to address, but, for a series of reasons, these don’t seem to be enough to contrast the structures of the political systems and consequently the narrative and the global perception.
So our hope it’s just that what we did and what we do could participate in strengthen these conversations, maybe stimulating or channelling feelings and ideas about the overall topic and specifically about the effort of perception that’s required to keep our attention high on the dynamics that surround us.
A fragment of responsibility
In a moment when global conflict keeps pushing the climate crisis out of sight, works like Souvenir insist that the sense of urgency cannot fade. With this piece, Nevercrew compress the crisis into a single, deceptively playful image, a reconstructed landscape that feels both familiar and disturbingly distant. Through plastic, fragmentation, and the visual logic of assembly kits, they reveal how urgency gets softened, how responsibility becomes abstracted, and how our relationship with nature slips from participation into mere observation.
Their aim isn’t to spark a new debate, but to reinforce the ones already underway, to sharpen perception, stir discomfort, and keep our attention fixed on the systems shaping the world we share.
About the artists
NEVERCREW is the Swiss artist duo of Christian Rebecchi and Pablo Togni, who have worked together since 1996 across mural painting, installation, and sculpture. Their practice revolves around the relationship between humankind, nature, and the systems we build, exploring environmental imbalance, social tension, and the ways political and economic structures shape our perception of reality. Known for combining hyperrealism with graphic clarity, they construct “simultaneous visions” where natural and mechanical elements coexist in fragile, deliberate equilibrium. Their interventions in public space aim for both immediate impact and slow reflection, inviting viewers to reconsider their position within larger living systems.
On Street Art Cities, you can already discover 35 of their murals across 16 different countries, tracing the global arc of their ongoing dialogue between people, place, and planet. Give them a follow in the free Street Art Cities app and don’t miss a thing.
Where to find this mural
If you want to experience Souvenir up close and feel that quiet tension for yourself, it’s easy to find. The mural is pinned on the free Street Art Cities app and on the website, where the geolocation feature guides you straight to its wall in Vienna. Once you’re there, mark it as seen, drop a like, and help keep this piece alive within the global street art community.
