A Playfully Grotesque Monster Peeks Out of Danaé Brissonnet’s Ravenous Mural in Montréal
Art
#Danaé Brissonnet
#mural
#public art
#puppets
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#video
August 11, 2022
Grace Ebert More
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A Trompe L’oeil Mural by Shozy Imagines a 3D Architectural Addition to an Apartment Building
Art
#architecture
#mural
#public art
#trompe l’oeilJanuary 28, 2022Grace EbertAll images courtesy of Urban Morpho Genesis, shared with permissionA concrete apartment building in Solnechnodolsk, Russia, seems to have added balconies, windows, and a few extra rooms in a trippy new mural by artist Danila Shmelev, aka Shozy. Created for the Urban Morpho Genesis festival, the massive optical illusion appears as a three-dimensional construction that juts out from the complex, despite lying flat on the corner walls. The Moscow-born artist says:In Russia, we are all accustomed to the architecture of panel houses. Our eyes are so blurred that aesthetics are out of the question. With my work, I want to focus the viewer’s attention on a familiar landscape and show it from an unusual side, complementing the real ends of two five-story buildings with illusory geometry, so that they draw the eye of the viewer to the ordinary landscape, encouraging them to really consider it.You can find more from Shozy and the festival on Instagram, and shop smaller trompe l’oeil works on canvas on Hiya.
#architecture
#mural
#public art
#trompe l’oeilDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story More - in Art
Ornate Murals by Nespoon Cloak Blank Facades in Traditional Lace Patterns
Art#lace
#mural
#public art
#street artAugust 14, 2021
Grace EbertMostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. All images © Nespoon, shared with permission
Every inch of Nespoon’s elaborately designed murals is rooted in local history. Prior to sketching one of her large-scale lace patterns on a residential building or commercial facade, the Warsaw-based artist (previously) visits museums and meets with residents to learn more about the region’s culture and its ties to fiber arts. “I respect and commemorate the emotional bound between individual patterns and particular cities or even particular groups of lacemakers. If there is no tradition of lace making in the area where I work, I ask for laces in the homes of elderly people living nearby,” she tells Colossal. “I always find something.”
The resulting murals envelop concrete and brick structures in intricate webbing embellished with oversized florals or fringed edges. Often splaying across multiple levels and wrapping around corners, the massive works showcase the intricacies of the craft and bring the adornment traditionally associated with domestic life out into a public space.Craponne-Sur-Arzon, France
Because women produced almost all of the decorative textiles for centuries, their stories remain at the forefront of Nespoon’s body of work, which ranges from stenciled graffiti pieces to smaller ceramic installations imprinted with patterns. Still today, lace museums and makers tend to be women, the artist says, veiling each of her site-specific projects within a broader, global context of feminine art, craft, and tradition.
While many of her projects are celebratory and honor the local customs that manifest in the lace pieces, others, like humble motif painted in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, necessarily confront a community’s struggles. “For the first time in my life, my wall had such clear traces of war, dozens of bullet holes all over the facade,” Nespoon writes, explaining further:
While working, I thought about the fate of women who are victims of wars all over the world. Here, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, it had an extraordinary dimension. Institutionalized sexual violence and mass rape were a cruel instrument of terror used in this conflict, in front of the whole world. I wanted to not think about it, but I did. The bullet holes became part of my mural.
Next week, Nespoon will be installing a lace web at the Triennale di Maroggia in Switzerland. She’s also preparing for a solo exhibition next May in Brescia, Italy, and working on a book compiling her works from the last 12 years, many of which you can find on Behance and Instagram.Craponne-Sur-Arzon, France
Callac, France
Callac, France
Patras, Greece
Patras, Greece
Malmö, Sweden
Nespoon working on the mural in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina#lace
#mural
#public art
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A Monumental 20-Story Wildflower Blooms Above Jersey City in a New Mural by Artist Mona Caron
Art#flowers
#mural
#public art
#street artAugust 11, 2021
Grace EbertAll images © Mona Caron, shared with permission
A single Joe Pye weed with barbed leaves and a blossoming head looms over Jersey City in a staggering new mural by Mona Caron. Set against a black backdrop, the hardy botanical—which is actually a wildflower from the eutrochium genus that’s native to the region—is the latest from the San Francisco-based artist, who’s known for her multi-story murals of plants and weeds that soar above city skylines. Commissioned as part of the Jersey City Mural Arts Program, the exquisitely rendered flower is a celebration of resilience as it “rises with the sun, facing off the skyline across the Hudson,” Caron writes on Instagram. “A vision of nature winning, of plants being the ones towering over us for a change, putting us back in our place. May we learn. May they come back.”#flowers
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Erik Burke Shows Us His ‘Top 20’ in Reno, Nevada
Is there any better combination than art and music? Yes there is…Art, music, AND a cold adult beverage!We’re impressed with Erik Burke’s new piece which he’s been calling “Top 20” in collaboration with Reno Nevada’s Record Street Brewing Co.The idea began with Record Street Brewery‘s Jesse Corletto bringing some pre-selected albums to Reno’s own Erik Burke aka OU. From there the project came to life on a wall outside the brewery/pizza restaurant/live music venue.The painted spines are shown a little worn and tattered, as real vinyl lovers know the music is to be played and not just appreciated as decor. Some great musical choices went into this piece, with classics from so many genres honored in paint. We appreciate the nod to The Velvet Underground & Nico’s classic LP with album artwork and production by iconic Andy Warhol.Erik lives in Reno, NV and creates place-specific murals throughout the world. His latest work can be seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, S. Korea, Italy, and closer to home in Reno. His work has been published in the book ‘Street Art; The Best Urban Art from Around the World’, ‘Outdoor Gallery’, The Huffington Post, & The NYTimes.The artist’s previous works have included making a 40 acre ground drawing in the USA, creating a body of work while bicycling from Portugal to the exhibition gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark , becoming the de facto resident Artist of Lassen County Jail while serving time for graffiti, and seeking out decommissioned spaces for wheat pastes. Throughout that time he have continually returned to the inspiration of geography and identifying a sense of place.Keep up with the talented Erik Burke via his website & InstagramWritten by @jreich More
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A Flurry of Feathers and Leaves Surround Spirited Birds in Fio Silva’s Vivid Murals
Art#birds
#flowers
#mural
#public art
#street artMarch 5, 2021
Grace EbertCastelar, Buenos Aires. All images @ Fio Silva, shared with permission
Fio Silva tucks clusters of oversized birds and botanicals into otherwise stark urban spaces, creating striking murals awash in puffs of feathers, petals, and leaves. The Buenos Aires-based artist focuses largely on movement, a thread that runs through both the vivid renderings of winged subjects as they appear to take flight or perch for just a moment. “It was that lack of stillness through work and searching for walls to paint that I found meaning in my time,” Silva tells Colossal.
When working in color, the artist starts with blues, yellows, and reds before expanding the palette based on the “moods and to intensify, in some way, what I want to convey, if it is something rather clear, bright, or something… more subdued or desolate,” Silva says. “When I paint, I try to convey a certain force, that by seeing it or sharing it I can move someone, in whatever way.”
Silva plans to complete a few murals in Argentina during the next few months and will travel to Europe during the summer, with an exhibition of smaller paintings slated for October in Paris. Keep up with the artist’s monumental public works on Instagram.Olivos, Buenos Aires
General Roca, Rio Negro
Olivos, Buenos Aires
Left: Berlin, Germany. Right: Belsh, Albania
General Roca, Rio Negro
Patos, Albania
Patos, Albania#birds
#flowers
#mural
#public art
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A Short Film Chronicles Mural Fest Kosovo, Void Projects’ Initiative to Infuse a War-Torn City with Public Art
Art#Kosovo
#mural
#public art
#short film
#street art
#videoJanuary 20, 2021
Grace Ebert
“At that time it wasn’t easy for me to be in the public with my camera because the country was very sensitive to reporters like me,” photojournalist Hazir Reka tells a group of muralists. “Being in the public with a camera was no different to being in public with a weapon because of how much it could affect reality.” Reka’s referring to a tumultuous time in Kosovo’s history when the region was in the midst of war, an experience he shares with the artists who traveled to the region in September 2020 for Mural Fest Kosovo.
Organized by the art collective Void Projects (previously), which is helmed by Axel Void, the initiative sought to revitalize the public spaces within Ferizaj, a small city desolated by war. Fifteen international muralists—the list includesAruallan, Emilio Cerezo, Doa Oa, Alba Fabre, Maria Jose Gallardo, and Zane Prater—gathered for the project that U.K.-based filmmaker Doug Gillen documents in a new short film.
Throughout “Change,” Gillen follows ten of the artists as they immerse themselves in local life and engage with the city’s youngest residents through workshops and school initiatives that directly involved the children and teens in the creative process. Their resulting artworks are a reflection of these interactions and large-scale depictions of the area’s ecology, citizens, and cultural milieu. While each is distinct in aesthetic—Aruallan and Void produced a photorealistic rendering of an 11-year-old boy they met on the street, while Fabre’s ethereal mural depicts an unknown woman lying in the water in traditional clothing, for example—they’re all infused with themes surrounding the city’s unique environment and more universal understandings of shared humanity.
“The greater this connection, the more effective the work. Exploring the human stories of Ferizaj in this way, at this very unique moment in time, felt like an important opportunity to document meaningfully,” Gillen said.
Watch the full film above to dive further into Kosovo’s history, and see all of the murals and glimpses into the artists’ experiences collaborating with Ferizaj residents on Void Projects’ Instagram.by Aruallan and Axel Void
by Emilio Cerezo
by Zane Prater
by Alba Fabre
by Doa Oa
by Maria Jose Gallardo#Kosovo
#mural
#public art
#short film
#street art
#videoDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!
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2020 Edition of Rouen Impressionnee in France
After the success of the 2016 edition, the 2020 edition of Rouen Impressionnee gathered 23 international artists, expanding successfully its open-air mural art exhibition in the streets of Rouen despite all the issues of this challenging year.
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A total of 20 new murals have joined the existing murals created in 2016 by international artists like SatOne, Sainer, Velvet & Zoer. Curator Olivier Landes and his team focussed on the contextualization of the works, in connection with the landscape, architecture and urban history.
In parallel to the monumental artworks, a series of events are also scheduled until end of November, including artistic interventions, graffiti jam, talks and conferences and workshops, as well as a comprehensive retrospective exhibition retracing 35 years of Street Art in Rouen.
Featured artists include:Citémômes • Claude Blo Ricci • Elian Chali • Fabrice Houdry • Fred Calmets • Herman Kolitz • Jan Vormann • Jean Faucheur • LKSIR • Lison de Ridder • Liz Ponio • Luca Arbocco • Manolo Mesa • Nadège Dauvergne • Nelio • Nubian • OX • Olivia Paroldi • Patrice Marchand • Ratur • Roberto Ciredz • Roid • Savati • Smad
Using a wide variety of techniques, from collage, engraving to knitting, the artistic works are intrinsically linked to the neighbourhoods and architecture. While being sensitive to architectural details, textures and volumes, the artists also involved local residents and communities.JAN VORMANN
German artist Jan Vormann used Lego plastic construction pieces to repair and fill holes in the broken walls on an historical gothic building bombarded during WWII.
Most of the works take the form of murals which vary from trompe-l’œil, pointillism, portraiture, abstraction to anamorphosis or landscape figuration:
BLO
French artist Blo (covered earlier) has designed a composition of vibrant and colourful shapes to highlight the passage under a monumental arch.
‘RENAISSANCE’ BY RATUR
MANOLO MESA
Spanish artist Manolo Mesa has paid tribute to the long tradition of ceramics in the Saint-Sever district, by painting a large scale mural featuring a trompe-l’oeil version of an 18th century jar, currently displayed in the Museum of Ceramics of Rouen.
CITEMOMES
The cultural non-profit organisation Citémômes led a yarn bombing project where intergenerations covered the walls and roof of a small house with tiny knitted squares in tribute to Monet.
LIZ PONIO
Liz Ponio has adorned the facade of the Simone Veil social centre of Rouen with hundreds of painted pebbles as a nod to the pointillist movement.
NADEGE DAUVERGNE
French artist Nadege Dauvergne painted an intimate portrait of two figures on the verge of kissing, using touches of sprays paint while the volume is being generated by playing with light and dark colours.
‘2006250942’ BY NELIO
Inspired by Monet’s cathedrals and their diffuse waves, Nelio painted an oniric landscape, mixing abstraction and figuration. To add to mystery the title is “2006250942”.
‘L’AUTRE POSSIBLE’ BY OLIVIA PAROLDI
Olivia Paroldi produced a large-scale mural on three garage doors using an engraving technique with a sander and dowels. The triptych is inspired by a lockdown experience, whereby the character evolves and frees himself from a constrained universe.
‘LE PAVILLON TROUE’ BY OX
Using 3D effects and dark volumes, OX creates an impressive optical effect, where the walls appear to be missing. To add to the visual effects, a fine fluorescent orange outline recalls the sprays used on construction sites, as a prelude to upcoming demolition of the house.
‘MELT FAST DIE YOUNG’ BY ROBERTO CIREDZ
Berlin based artist Roberto Ciredz painted a dazzling trompe l’oeil effect on this façade with a political message. Beyond the aesthetic aspect, the artist highlights the issue of global warming with a piece of ice in the process of melting.‘VOYAGE’ BY ROID
British artist Roid developed a monumental work playing with geometric shapes and the urban environment like the tram lines. The result is full of energy and interacts with the buzzing atmosphere of the place.
ELIAN CHALI
Elian Chali has created an anamorphosis by placing two red and blue spheres on three houses that seem to unite. Viewed from a specific point, the shapes are composed to perfection, while from other points of view they deconstruct and transform into large abstract zones of primary colours.
JEAN FAUCHEUR
‘AMAZONE BATMAN’ BY FRED CALMETS
More info on the artworks and scheduled events on www.rouenimpressionee.fr More
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New works from E. LEE go up in Chicago
We always love checking in with Chicago’s E. LEE. E brings creativity and thoughtfulness to every piece (whether in the street or indoors), and there’s usually more than what meets the eye.
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E. LEE began his street art career in 2015 with a goal to impact lives with art. By taking the viewer into consideration, he orchestrates experiences using trompe l’oeil effects and pop images as symbols. In this series about cultural symbols of value, he replaces common objects with cartoon representations of currency and gold. The depth created with shadows and the fantastic scale creates a sense of awe for the viewer while the simplicity and boldness of the piece sneaks into a complex question of what we value in our culture…and why.
First up is a work entitled “Looming Large”, in the Uptown neighborhood. The works invites the viewer to sneak a peek at a stash of massive gold coins within an otherwise unassuming buildingNext up is the complex “Your Life as a Comedy” in the Logan Square neighborhood.
Lee tells Street Art News, “I feel this piece is very important right now. A lot of people are feeling anxious and unsafe in the current environment. A threat from nature in Covid, a threat from society with possible income and housing loss, and a large amount of social unrest on top of everything.”
Lee continues, “This is an optimistic piece. The viewer is the protagonist and it is the story of our lives. It’s a cycle (represented by the cycle of the day) showing the metaphoric hurdles we all must overcome:
The desert: an empty barren place with a lack of nourishment. It is loneliness and a feeling of isolation.
The flood / ocean: turbulent water represents turbulent emotions. It is the opposite of a lack, but rather an overwhelm and possible feeling of drowning.
Anvils floating above us on balloons: This is anxiety… the random occurrence that can fall on our heads out of nowhere (cancer, pandemic, death of a loved one)
A Crack in the Earth: This represents us falling into a hole. A major problem or depression we have to climb out of.We navigate these obstacles and we get ourselves to the other side. When we do, there is more life (trees and bushes), more balance, and we’re equipped with the tools to build a little more safety for ourselves and the ones we love. The last panel represents us improving our lives, building, and the opportunity to take a breath and rest up… for the cycle and challenge will soon begin again.”
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