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    Murals by Brian Barrios in Manila, Philippines

    Brian Barrios works primarily with wheat pastes, and had made a name for himself as a wheat paste artist by the age of 15. He garnered local and international attention for his artistic talent, putting up rural scenes of Filipino life and culture around Metro Manila.Barrios is now working with Anakbayan, a radical youth organisation in the Philippines known for its political activism. His own street art, which includes posters and murals, is characteristically charged with political messages and critique.Scroll down below for more works of Brian Barrios. More

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    “The Origins” by Gleb Kashtanov in Polatsk, Belarus

    Gleb Kashtanov, a Belarusian artist, created a spectacularly symbolic mural “The Origins” in Polatsk, a place known as the center of the ancient Belarusian statehood. A symbol of a great sword growing into the soil was depicted on the front of a 9-storey building. This mural was set up within the project ”Traditions for the Future” supervised by Belarusbank and “Urban Myths”, a street-art team.The artist came up with the idea of the mural during a dream. The composition was developed in collaboration with historians. A 10th century Viking sword is the key element of the picture; it is kept in the local museum. There is a unique stamping “VLFBERHT” made by a European craftsman. We can see it on the sword. This stamping testifies about the integration of local ancient nation into European economic processes. The historians helped to reconstruct the sword.Curiously, the primary marking for the wall uses the quote from the ancient Chronicles where Polatsk was first mentioned (862 AD). The authors say there are 3 basic components of the final composition:A sword in the soil: symbolizes the beginning of the statehood and peaceful development.A trade road river: symbolizes economic growth and prosperity of the ancient Belarusian statehood.The Cathedral of The Holy Wisdom: symbolizes spiritual fundamentals. The Cathedral of The Holy Wisdom is a famous place in Polatsk. It was built in 1044 to 1066. It’s considered to be the oldest church in Belarus. Ancient Belarusians treated this church as a symbol of independence from other centers of the Ancient Rus.However, it is important to single out the fourth component – Personalities! The sword has a three-dimensional display, it takes roots and blossoms. While looking at the roots of the tree you can see the faces of significant Belarusian personalities who сontributed to the History of Belarus. As we all know brave and adventurous personalities create History.The monumental painting “The origins” is a part of the ambitious art-project named “Traditions for the Future”. The project “Traditions for the Future” is a series of motivating murals in Belarusian cities and towns. Every picture reflects the values of entrepreneurship and personal initiative through the prism of Belarusian legends and history. The project is being implemented by Belarusbank and the street-art team “Urban Myths”.Take a look below for more photos of “The Origins”Photos by: Kiryl Smalyakou, Gorod214 More

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    “Unity” Group Exhibition at Volery Gallery in Dubai, UAE

    In collaboration with Thinkspace, California, Volery Gallery presents UNITY, 9 June–2 July 2022. The exhibition will showcase the works of 29 established contemporary artists. UNITY reexamines the times we are living through, from which the need to come together as one has emerged. The world has shown us the way to survival by uniting and working together to heal. To beware of individualism no longer serves as the answer to the issue at stake.The 29 artists are joining together to influence change and shed light on threats the Earth is facing. In a commitment to raising awareness concerning climate change, shortages in water and food supply chains, as well as alarming ocean life hazards. These prominent issues, if left unchecked, will ultimately affect all life on Earth catastrophically.The exhibition will run from June 9, 2021 to July 2, 2021. Schedule your visit here.Scroll down below to have a sneak peak on Unity exhibition. More

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    “Athena and Minerva” by URIGINAL in Madrid, Spain

    The building of the Livensa Living Studios Madrid Alcobendas project culminates with the mural intervention of more than 138 square meters of the artist Uriginal, who has represented a femme character, which fusions Athena, the Greek goddess of war and civilization, with Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts. The figure’s face traits look like a mosaic made of a myriad of color hues. The artist’s touch is remarkable in this work, a mark characterized by the deconstruction of organic forms to visually reinterpret them through geometric compositions that play with lights and shadows, and different volumes.Departing from the command of color and anatomy, the artwork challenges the beholder to question how our eye deciphers what we see, which is constituted by a million of chromatic points that are ordered by sight into a shape that makes sense. The exercise that Uriginal executes is an inverted “trompe l’oeil” – instead of making his hand invisible, the artist highlights the coding of the image leaving it in its initial state, without interpretations or nuances.Minerva’s fragmented face is complemented by another of the artist’s marks: the vibrant sunflower-like colors emanating from the figure transport us to a contemporary apparition of the goddess. At the same time, it reaffirms the artist’s mission of trying to reveal the mysteries of color.Uri, otherwise known as Uriginal, is an artist based in Barcelona, who has gained massive recognition for his art which details, a mixture of historical art pieces with modern elements. By taking the subjects from famous works of art he brings a new perspective of life to his works by adding bright colours and bold lines.Following with the theme of combining modern elements to classics, he involves the uses of kaleidoscopic geometry throughout a significant number of his works, having a heavy influence from fellow Spaniard and world-renowned architect, Antoni Gaudí and his application of multi-coloured mosaics in his works.The pieces made by Uri have an essence of being preserved by father time with a emphasis upon a certain subject or occurrence. The mixture of this along with the tessellations of the mosaics gives the illusion of constant development or alternation and the colours, humour and creativity is part and parcel of Uri’s expression.REBOBINART: Is a producer of urban art projects, founded in 2012 with the aim of promoting a professional vision of urban art by putting it at the service of social and cultural revitalization through the creation of projects that are rooted in the territory. Specialized in large format production, Rebobinart works to boost the most elaborate expressions of urban art by promoting artistic projects that provide added value to urban space and that generate new forms of communication among citizens through art and culture.Scroll down below for more photos of Uriginal’s work. More

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    New installation by Felipe Pantone at Hï Ibiza, Spain

    Art and music collide in Ibiza as The Night League, the team behind world-famous clubs Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa Ibiza, unveil a striking new art installation by Argentinian-Spanish visual artist Felipe Pantone. The highly acclaimed artist has transformed the Hï Ibiza facade into a kaleidoscope of colour, ready to welcome the many thousands of clubbers who will descend on the Spanish island this summer.Felipe Pantone is known for his eye-catching artworks that play with shades of colour. He has exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Madrid, and has produced a number of distinctive murals around the world. For this new Ibiza installation, Pantone has given Playa d’en Bossa superclub Hï Ibiza a bold, dynamic and vibrant new look. The spectrum of colour on display at the entrance of the venue is instantly recognisable as Pantone’s trademark style.​​Speaking about the new installation, Pantone said: “Hï Ibiza is a place I know and love as I have enjoyed many great nights out there. So, I was honoured when the team reached out about this collaboration. I wanted to bring a piece of my energy – a super dynamic composition. As soon as you walk in, it’s like a slash of intensity. It invites you into the venue and gives you a taste of what you will experience once inside the club.”This unique collaboration marks the first ever time that pioneering nightlife and entertainment company The Night League and award-winning club Hï Ibiza have invited an artist to reimagine the club’s exterior.CEO & founder of The Night League, Yann Pissenem, commented: “Art and creativity are at the heart of The Night League’s DNA and it’s long been a wish to fuse my passion for music and art on the island. It’s an honour to display Felipe’s work at Hï Ibiza. Much like the music artists that perform at the club every night throughout the summer, this is an artist who pushes the boundaries of creativity and brings joy to all who see his work”.Pantone’s new work of art will be on display all season long at Hï Ibiza. The futuristic club will also play host to a series of high profile music artists and events throughout the summer, including underground favourite Afterlife by Tale Of Us, Grammy Award winning house hero Black Coffee, Australian superstar FISHER, David Guetta & MORTEN’s FUTURE RAVE, 21st-century disco Glitterbox, and American House duo The Martinez Brothers, along with Latin music heavyweights J Balvin, Anuel AA and Nicky Jam.Check out below for more photos of the mural. More

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    “HOGAR” by BOAMISTURA in Getafe, Spain

    The artistic collective Boa Mistura inaugurates two murals in the new Livensa Living student residence located on the Carlos III University Campus in Getafe. On the more than 107 square meters of interior and exterior walls, the people of Madrid have left their unique artistic mark, starting with colorful and harmonious typefaces to condense messages that embrace and communicates with the viewer.HOGAR y UNIÓN are the foundations and essence of Livensa Living and now, also, the words that are highlighted in the new artistic work of Boa Mistura. Acting as immense canvases, they encapsulate the essence of a generation, of a life stage and of a transforming space. The murals represent the essence of everything that happens in a residence: a meeting point and refuge. Hogar y Union: “important roots building stories and memories for life”, as the artists point out.Starting from the superimposition of the characters of the words and playing with geometry and color, Boa Mistura wanted to express the idea of ​​understanding the residence as an anchor that defines and builds us, leaving an indelible trail in each of the tenants.The artistic action, curated, managed and supervised by Rebobinart, has been carried out from April 18 to May 6 and will be inaugurated at the beginning of the next academic year, in September 2022. Added to this intervention is the one already completed in the residence of students Livensa Living Granada Fuentenueva with the work of Marina Capdevila and the next intervention of Uriginal in the new project Livensa Living Studios Madrid Alcobendas.Check out below for more photos of the mural. More

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    “G O A L – Struttura G070” by Giulio Vesprini in Castellano, Italy

    “The park is famous for its astronomical observatory and my work pays homage to this fantastic place with its surrounding landscape by observing the moon, the sea, the beautiful countryside and the Via Lactea…” Giulio Vesprini stated.Giulio Vesprini is an artist and graphic designer who works in a variety of media. He has attended two major schools: Accademy of Fine Arts in Macerata and the Departement of Architecture in Ascoli Piceno. With a subtle minimalistic approach, Vesprini focuses on the idea of ‘public space’ and more specifically on spaces where graphic and wall can be united at any given moment: the non-private space and space that is economically uninteresting can become utility space. His artworks are often about contact with architecture and graphic elements.By applying abstraction, he creates intense personal moments masterfully created by means of rules and omissions, acceptance and refusal, luring the viewer round and round in circles. His practice provides some graphic tools with a minimalist approach in the world of art: these meticulously planned works resound and resonate with images culled from the fantastical realm of imagination. More

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    “The Sanctuary” by Swoon in North Braddock, Pennsylvania

    Artist Caledonia Curry, also known as Swoon—one of the most famous artist activists today is currently working on a project called “The Sanctuary” in North Braddock, Pennsylvania.Artist’s rendering of The Sanctuary WindowsSwoon grew up with drug addicted parents who went through the U.S. incarceration system. This left a major impact on her and her practice, leading her to start the nonprofit The Heliotrope Foundation to help communities in crisis through artist collaborations. And in 2007, Swoon and a group of friends were invited to purchase and restore one of Braddock, PA’s landmark buildings: an abandoned church. They saved this structure from a tide of demolitions that were ravaging the area, alongside economic blight and lack of job and educational opportunities, and turned it into a creative space with community tile-making workshops.Architectural renderings by Lauris SvarupsNow, Swoon is working with Za’kiyah House to transform the Braddock, PA church into an art-filled community center and transitional living space for the homeless and people with addiction issues and criminal records. “The Sanctuary” will become apartments, a social hall and a sanctuary space.The Sanctuary will become apartments, a social hall and a sanctuary space serving the community of North Braddock, PA. It will address the housing discrimination faced by people with criminal records and strengthen family bonds by providing apartments where families can stay together, rather than risk having children lost to the foster care system.Decoratively boarded up windows, awaiting replacement.While this work is local to one place, with its trauma informed model and restorative-justice based philosophy, The Sanctuary is creating a beacon that many other communities can steer by as we ask ourselves how we reckon with our notions of justice, and how we will learn to heal the intergenerational cycles of trauma that so often lead to devastating outcomes such as homelessness and incarceration.After successfully fundraising and constructing a new roof the team is now raising funds to replace the windows.  There are 38 custom windows that need replacing as well as a large stain-glass window designed by Swoon.Swoon launched a Kickstarter campaign (ending May 30) to raise funds for the space. Rewards for Kickstarter backers include pieces by fellow artists Shepard Fairey, Scott Erickson, Michael Reeder, Strange Dirt, Nelson Makamo, Ebony Patterson, Rajni Perera, Jean Jullien, Cara To, Komikka Patton, Shehzil Malik and Swoon.Original stain-glass window with new restoration design by Swoon“The opportunity to contribute to this work means so much to me. Both of my parents went through incarceration and rehab as a result of drug addictions, and the presence of houses like this meant that they could come back into my life in much stronger ways.  I’ve seen what happens when someone has a chance to rebuild their life, and how their second chance impacts everyone around them. I see this work as a step toward healing the cycles of intergenerational trauma that fuel so many of our societal crises.”“Also tremendously important is the chance to re-enfranchise the black community with land and property ownership. In 2020 I made the decision to donate a home that I owned to become Donnelle’s Safe Haven. There were many factors influencing this decision, and one of them was discovering the role that my own ancestors played in the enslavement of African people, and the recognition of the impacts that this history still has on the present day. As we work to address systemic racism in all of its manifestations, creating stability and empowerment through long term resources held within the black community is key. It’s my hope that some of the tens of millions of Americans with ancestors who benefited from our country’s brutal history will consider participating in projects like The Sanctuary as part of a larger movement toward reparations ” Swoon stated.This collaborative endeavor is the result of over a decade of community based arts and justice work. It is built on many many relationships and made possible by hundreds of people who have donated resources or lent a hand because they believe in Ronna Davis Moore’s vision, and want to support a new way forward. Please join in this big barn raising for healing-justice and creativity. To know more about the project, visit The Sanctuary’s page. More