Murals

Subterms

    Latest story

    113 Shares62 Views

    MonkeyBird’s Majestic Murals Bend Time Through Elaborately Stenciled Compositions

    by

    Detail of “Le Présage,” Metz, France (2023). All images courtesy of MonkeyBird, shared with permission

    MonkeyBird’s Majestic Murals Bend Time Through Elaborately Stenciled Compositions

    December 19, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    For more than a decade, French artists Louis Boidron and Édouard Egea have been collaborating as MonkeyBird (previously). The pair are known for their large-scale stenciled murals rich with symbolism, architectural structures, and elaborate motifs, many of which reach for timeless themes related to human emotion, experience, and the inevitability of change.

    “The Arch of Peace” is one of their most recent pieces and transforms the facade of an Aarhus building into a monumental homage to peace and justice. Commissioned for the 17 Walls Project, the mural draws on one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to create a more inclusive and resilient future.

    “The Arch Of Peace,” Aarhus, Denmark (2024)

    “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose origins lie in France, served as our central inspiration,” the artists shared. “We reinterpreted the ornamental framework of the original engraving: angels, arches, and colonnades symbolize the moral pillars essential for stability in a constantly changing world.”

    As is typical in a MonkeyBird mural, two anthropomorphized creatures donning robes stand at the center of the composition, guarding a library based on that of Trinity College Dublin. “Their attributes of power and intellect take on true meaning only when guided by reason and ethics,” the artists add.

    Similarly mythic and majestic figures appear in a pair of murals in Fontainebleau and Metz, France, the latter of which features an avian creature holding an hourglass high in the air. Titled “Le Présage,” or “The Omen,” the piece directly points to the artist’s interest in the passage of time and collapsing the boundaries between past, present, and future.

    In February, the pair will join the Montgomery Art Project in Alabama to create a mural and immersive installation of their papercuts. If you’re local, keep an eye out for opportunities to participate in one of MonkeyBird’s workshops, which will engage the community in cutting their stencils and creating public paste-ups. Until then, pick up a print in their shop, and follow their latest projects on Instagram.

    “Le Présage,” Metz, France (2023)

    Detail of “The Arch Of Peace,” Aarhus, Denmark (2024)

    Fontainebleau, France (2023)

    Aubervilliers, France (2022)

    Fontainebleau, France (2023)

    Fontainebleau, France (2023)

    Fontainebleau, France (2023)

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Next article More

    More stories

    • 175 Shares179 Views

      in Art

      Cosmic Birds Soar Through New York City Subway Stations in Fred Tomaselli’s New Mosaics

      by

      ‘Wild Things’ (2024), glass and ceramic mosaics. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for 14 St-7 Av station. Photo by Photo: Trent Reeves. All images © Fred Tomaselli and NYC Transit 14 St Station Complex, shared with permission

      Cosmic Birds Soar Through New York City Subway Stations in Fred Tomaselli’s New Mosaics

      November 13, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Known for his large-scale, collaged resin paintings and ongoing series of reimagined front pages of The New York Times, Fred Tomaselli is captivated by what he describes as the “friction” between beauty and ugliness or internal and external forces. He often observes interactions between humanity and nature through rhythmic patterns and vibrant colors.

      In New York City’s 14 St-6 Av and 14 St-7 Av subway stations, a series of new murals titled Wild Things have been unveiled in the historical spirit of the MTA mosaics. An avid birder, the Brooklyn-based artist highlights species that live year-round in New York City.

      Detail of mosaic in 14 St-7 Av station

      Scenes brightening up passageways and stairwells include orioles mobbing a falcon, a bright sky full of electric blue clouds, a spiral-eyed, cosmic cardinal, and more.

      Wild Things marks Tomaselli’s first permanent public artwork in Manhattan and reflects his mixed-media approach to collage in ceramics and glass. Commissioned by MTA Art & Design, the mosaics join more than 350 permanent installations accessible to public 24/7.

      Learn more about the artist’s work on Instagram. You might also enjoy Contemporary Art Underground, a celebration of New York City Subway art, Nick Cave’s 360-food “Soundsuit” installation, or Nancy Blum’s sprawling tile blossoms.

      Passageway from 7 Av to 6 Av

      Detail of work in passageway from 7 Av to 6 Av

      Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

      Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

      Detail of mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

      Mosaic located in 14 St-6 Av

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 150 Shares129 Views

      in Art

      In London, a 15-Foot Flower by Shepard Fairey Advocates for Environmental Justice

      by

      All photos by Jonathan Furlong, courtesy of the artist ObeyGiant, shared with permission

      In London, a 15-Foot Flower by Shepard Fairey Advocates for Environmental Justice

      October 11, 2024

      ArtClimateSocial Issues

      Grace Ebert

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      At 36 Boundary Street in London, a bold new mural rises 15 feet above the street. Anchored by scales atop a small seedling, the public artwork by Shepard Fairey addresses environmental justice and our responsibility to care for the planet.

      “I believe that our individual and collective actions will dramatically impact current and future generations, be it for the better or for the worse. It is our responsibility as the citizens of Earth to protect it,” the artist said.

      A series of workshops with young Londoners inspired the bright, graphic motif. The group was interested in expanding access to green space and reducing air pollution, and given the recent convening of the United Nations General Assembly focusing on international cooperation, connection between countries and cultures was top of mind.

      The project was produced by Charlotte Pyatt, Simon Butler, and Migrate Art, which has raised more than £2.1 million in the last decade through creative projects in refugee camps in France and Northern Iraq, with the Indigenous Xingu people in the Amazon, and in collaboration with U.K.-based charities feeding London’s unhoused population.

      Find more from the artist on his website.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 163 Shares159 Views

      in Art

      An Expanded Edition of JR’s Monograph Recounts the Power of Socially Engaged Art

      by

      All images © JR, courtesy of Phaidon, shared with permission

      An Expanded Edition of JR’s Monograph Recounts the Power of Socially Engaged Art

      October 4, 2024

      ArtBooksSocial Issues

      Jackie Andres

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Traveling to different regions across the globe, French artist JR envisions grand projects that call to humanitarian issues and collective action. At the forefront of his practice is a persistent query, rooted in a palpable yearning for change and strong belief in the power of art.

      JR: Can Art Change the World? chronicles the artist’s phenomenal range of participatory efforts, from mural-laden buildings to photographic installations to performance art. Originally published in 2015 and later updated in 2019, an even newer edition featuring a half-decade of JR’s latest works is slated for release by Phaidon later this month. The 2024 version includes a whopping 390 photos and illustrations, as well as a foreword by George Lucas.

      Among the four new chapters included in the expansion, you might recognize more recent projects such as “Tehachapi,” a poignant collection of murals focused on the lives of incarcerated individuals, and impressive optical illusions from the artist’s ongoing “Trompe l’œil” series.

      Pre-order JR: Can Art Change the World? in the Colossal Shop to be one of the first to page through the monograph.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in Art

      An Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals a Remarkable Painted Throne Room

      by

      All images courtesy of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, shared with permission

      An Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals a Remarkable Painted Throne Room

      September 25, 2024

      Art History Science

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Between about 350 and 850 C.E., a society known as the Moche thrived in the coastal valleys of northern Peru. Pañamarca, in the Nepeña Valley, is the southernmost center of the Moche culture and the site of a remarkable series of recent archaeological discoveries, including the latest: a monumental pillared hall with vibrantly painted walls.

      The Archaeological Landscapes of Pañamarca, founded in 2018, is a collaboration between Peruvian and U.S. archaeologists, art historians, and conservators. Its research and digs are supported by the National Geographic Society, the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University, and the Avenir Conservation Center at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

      This year, archaeologists uncovered a pillared room containing evidence of its use by a high-status female leader. Scenes depict the powerful woman receiving visitors in procession or seated upon a throne.

      “Scholars will debate whether the woman painted on the walls of the throne room is human or mythical (a priestess, goddess, or queen),” researchers say. “But the physical evidence of the throne, including the erosion to its back support and the recovery of greenstone beads, fine threads, and even human hair, make clear that it was occupied by a real living person—and the evidence all points to a seventh-century woman leader of Pañamarca.”

      The figure portrayed on the walls is associated with the crescent moon, the sea and its creatures, and the fiber arts. Additional murals uncovered this past July reveal a scene of an entire workshop of women spinning and weaving, along with a retinue of men carrying textiles and the leader’s crown—which includes her braids.

      Lisa Trever, professor of art history at Columbia University, says, “Pañamarca continues to surprise us, not only for the ceaseless creativity of its painters but also because their works are overturning our expectations of gender roles in the ancient Moche world.”

      The colorful wall paintings of Pañamarca were first recorded in the 1950s, depicting battles between supernatural beings, priests, warriors in procession, a unique two-faced man, and ceremonial activities.

      “Moche archaeology is well known for its rich, elite tombs, impressive architecture and artworks, and elaborate religious artifacts and imagery,” says a project statement. Atop a granite hill, the site consists of a stepped adobe platform, two lower platforms, a walled plaza, and a number of other structures.

      Dig deeper on the Pañamarca project’s website and Instagram.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 138 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival

      by

      “A Lasting Place” (2024), London. Photo by Jose Delu. All courtesy of London Mural Festival, shared with permission

      Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival

      September 21, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Drawing from photographs of landscapes and cinematic portraits, Sebas Velasco’s murals and paintings boldly capture people and places. For the 2024 London Mural Festival, the artist has unveiled a large-scale portrayal of a local resident of Brixton, where the piece was recently installed on the end of a residential building.

      Shown waiting for the Brixton train line, the young man in Velasco’s painting leans back against a concrete railing and looks off to the side, illuminated by the station’s lights, which also glow in the background. Titled “A Lasting Place,” Velasco taps into a sense of time slowing down, contemplation, and ease.

      Photo by Jose Delu

      Velasco revels in the process of exploring and learning about the places where he develops his public art pieces. The compositions emerge organically as he immerses himself in the local environment and meets people who live in the area.

      Along with his long-time collaborator Jose Delu, who assists with creating highly contrasted, vibrant photographs, Velasco draws on conversations and experiences in each place in order to reveal something of its spirit through his work. He often addresses the idea of connection, which is also the theme of this year’s festival.

      If you’re in London, you can explore more than 100 murals through September 29 as part of the event, including pieces familiar to Colossal readers like Marija Tiurina. New installations this year have been created by Aches Elseed, BAPE, D*Face, Betz Etam, Anna Ovney, and more.

      Find a map on the festival’s website, and to dig further into Velasco’s work, check out his website and Instagram.

      Wedo Goas, 39 Lee Church St

      Bezt Etam, Roundwood Estate

      Liam Bononi, 125 South Lambeth Rd

      Zoe Power, Jo Hicks, and Vanessa Scott, Canary Wharf

      BAPE x D*Face collaboration

      Sophie Mess, The Stage, Shoreditch

      Anna Ovney, Leadenhall Building, City of London

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More