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Reskate’s Youthful Murals Transform into Glowing Symbols of Peace

by Aurelia Butler 5 June 2025, 23:51

Reskate’s Youthful Murals Transform into Glowing Symbols of Peace

June 5, 2025

Art

Jackie Andres

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During the day, Reskate’s extensive murals cover large swathes of space on buildings, stage backdrops, and even transformer towers. While these monumental public works are striking during sunlit hours, they completely transform with the darkness of night.

Artists Javier de Riba and María López are the artistic duo behind Reskate. Primarily based in Barcelona, both artists travel throughout the year, visiting different corners of the world to complete projects to “raise awareness of care for culture, nature, and peace.”

Detail of “Paix” (2025). Reims, Champagne. Image by Romain Berthiot

Reskate’s subjects are often children. In a bold, illustrative style with graphic linework, the artists depict young figures holding objects related to the area in which the mural is placed, as well as articles that reflect global concerns. “The invisibilization and invalidation of youth as an active element that should be part of society is a burden that continues to be perpetuated,” the duo explains in a statement covering “Eulalia,” a previous mural completed in 2023.

An example of this is prevalent in “Bruit,” taking the form of stage design for an immersive concert. In the piece, a young girl protectively wraps her arms around a fishbowl, nodding to the impact of sound pollution within the oceans.

The pair recently completed an exhibit at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona and plans to continue their artistic endeavors both in and out of the public space. Find more work on Reskate’s website and Instagram, and browse prints in their online shop.

“Harmony” (2025). Liverpool. Image by Corbyn John

“Transformateur” (2024). Mareuil-sur-Ourcq, France. Image by Sophie Palmier

Detail of “Transformateur” (2024). Mareuil-sur-Ourcq, France. Image by Sophie Palmier

“Bruit” (2024). Le Mans, France

Detail of “Bruit” (2024). Le Mans, France

“Boycott” (2024). Ghent, Belgium

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Across 92 Screens in Times Square, Yuge Zhou’s ‘Trampoline Color Exercise’ Celebrates Global Unity
by Aurelia Butler 27 May 2025, 13:19
All images © Yuge Zhou, courtesy of Times Square Arts, shared with permission
Across 92 Screens in Times Square, Yuge Zhou’s ‘Trampoline Color Exercise’ Celebrates Global Unity
May 27, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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Spanning a gridded background of rectangular, pink trampolines, hundreds of gymnasts mesmerizingly flip and twist, shapeshifting as they tuck and tumble. “Trampoline Color Exercise,” a monumental digital video collage installation by Chicago-based artist Yuge Zhou, takes a bird’s-eye view of athletes at peak form while abstracting their bodies and movements into undulating ripples of color.
Born in China, Zhou has long explored the emotional, psychological, and geographic distance between her chosen home in the Midwest and the country of her birth. Themes of separation, loyalty, and cultural contrasts undergird much of her multidisciplinary work. She initiated her series of Moon Drawings, for example, during the pandemic when she was unable to travel the long distance to to Beijing to visit family.
For “Trampoline Color Exercise,” Zhou interrogates colors in their role as national symbols. Pulling from archival Olympics footage, she collages gymnasts wearing primary colors in a nod to global national flags, literally and figuratively fluctuating in a reflection of our ever-evolving geopolitical reality.
“‘Trampoline Color Exercise’ was created over the past few years amid intense political and international divisions, and now it feels especially timely,” Zhou says in a statement. “At its heart, the work is a celebration of globalization and a reflection on allegiance.”
Co-presented by Times Square Arts and artnet, the monumental work will be screened across 92 electronic billboards in the legendary New York City intersection. Part of Times Square Arts’ Midnight Moment series, the city’s largest public art program, visitors will be able to see Zhou’s three-minute work every night between June 1 and 30, starting at 11:57 p.m.
Explore more on Zhou’s website.
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A Rippling Townhouse Facade by Alex Chinneck Takes a Seat in a London Square
by Aurelia Butler 22 May 2025, 19:06
Photos by Charles Emerson. All images courtesy of Alex Chinneck Studio, shared with permission
A Rippling Townhouse Facade by Alex Chinneck Takes a Seat in a London Square
May 22, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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It takes a real knack for design to make something as hefty and industrial as steel and bricks appear weightless or even playful. But British artist Alex Chinneck (previously) is no stranger to monumental projects that reimagine urban infrastructure and buildings into striking public installations.
As part of London’s Clerkenwell Design Week, Chinneck unveiled “A week at the knees,” a new sculpture in Charterhouse Square that takes its cue from an iconic predecessor. The artist installed the “From the Knees of my Nose to the Belly of my Toes” in 2013 on a dilapidated townhouse in Margate, appearing as though the entire front of the building had simply slid right off. On view through June in London, his new work boasts a frame made from 320 meters of repurposed steel and 7,000 bricks.
“A week at the knees” playfully anthropomorphizes a classic Georgian facade, with its lower two levels rippling over a pathway as if seated in the park with its knees up. London is famous for its green squares and gardens, and Chinneck’s work invites visitors to pass through a unique portal that calls upon the history of its surroundings, complete with downspout and lamps flanking the arched front door.
Chinneck fabricated the sculpture in collaboration with numerous British companies to source and create bespoke steel beams, curving windows, and bricks. At five meters tall and weighing 12 tons, the piece mimics a life-size building while sporting a thickness of only 15 centimeters. The effect lends itself to the experience of a hefty, architectonic structure with a graceful, lightweight personality.
Explore more on Chinneck’s website and Instagram.
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A Bold Metaphysical Portal by Hilma’s Ghost Stretches 600 Feet Across Grand Central Station
by Aurelia Butler 25 April 2025, 19:01
Hilma’s Ghost, “Abstract Futures” (2025), NYC Transit 42 St-Grand Central Station, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. All photos by Etienne Frossard, courtesy of the artists and MTA, shared with permission
A Bold Metaphysical Portal by Hilma’s Ghost Stretches 600 Feet Across Grand Central Station
April 25, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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A glass mosaic covering 600 square feet of the 2nd Street entrance to the 7 train in Grand Central Station greets commuters with a bold, cosmic map. The work of Sharmistha Ray and Dannielle Tegeder, of the feminist collective Hilma’s Ghost, “Abstract Futures” is a vibrant, three-part portal to transformation.
Named after the visionary artist and mystic Hilma af Klint(1862–1944), the collective formed in 2020 and typically pairs innovative contemporary art practices with spirituality. Their tarot deck has amassed a cult following and shares a name with this new MTA Arts & Design-commissioned project (previously), the group’s first public artwork.
Abstract Futures opens with “The Fool,” a tarot card representing an embrace of new beginnings. Brilliant reds, pinks, and oranges nest together in entrancing, angular forms to invoke courageous, creative intuition at the start of a journey.
In the center is “The Wheel of Fortune,” which is intended to bring this passionate, if not naive, energy back to Earth. Here, grounding greens and browns form a cyclical pattern that reflects a natural rhythm. Concentric orbs and a string of ochre diamonds propel the viewer toward the future.
The last piece in the trio is also the largest, beginning with a celestial blue triangle met by an inverted plane in orange. This pairing draws on “The World,” creating a harmonious, unified relationship between the shadows and wisdom that exist within all of us.
Red, horizontal bars at the far right call on tarot’s suit of wands. Generally associated with fire and primal energy, this final segment symbolizes regeneration and the ability to begin again.
In a statement, the artists say they hope the work inspires a new way of looking at the city:
Abstract Futures is about the connection between people, spaces, and time, and intended to provide a powerful reflection of what New York represents to us all. The city is at once a sprawling metropolis with millions of people but also a dynamic network of interconnectivity. As we make our way through a single day in New York, we connect with so many people from so many walks of life. The density of the mural’s imagery, pattern, and color is a metaphor for the endless diversity of the city that is its heartbeat.
Miotto Mosaic Art Studios fabricated the work, and you can explore Hilma’s Ghost’s collaborative projects on its website. (via Hyperallergic)
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Monumental Murals by Agostino Iacurci Vibrantly Reimagine Urban Facades
by Aurelia Butler 21 April 2025, 14:35
“Cardi (1571-2021)” (2021), wall painting, dimensions variable. Borgo Universo, Aielli. Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro
Monumental Murals by Agostino Iacurci Vibrantly Reimagine Urban Facades
April 21, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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Murals by Agostino Iacurci bring drab buildings to life in bold jewel tones, playful patterns, color blocks, and symmetry. Whether painting directly onto bricks and plaster or designing immense fabric sheaths to cover construction scaffolding, the artist’s vibrant compositions enliven street corners and urban thoroughfares.
Iacurci often emphasizes geometric patterns, flora, classical vases, and niches that hold symbolic objects or figures. You might enjoy checking out Gingko Press’s Mural Masters, a survey of the next generation of street artists, and see more on Iacurci’s website and Instagram.
“Landscape n.1” (2021), wall painting, 27.7 x 7.1 meters. Las Vegas, Nevada. Commissioned by Life is Beautiful
“Disegno d’esame” (2021), enamel on wall, dimensions variable. Pascucci Elementary School, Santarcangelo di Romagna. Photo by Francesco Marini
“Grüne Oase” (2024). Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Photo by Ivan Murzin
“COINCIDENCES.” Ensorinstituut, Oostende, Belgium. Produced by The Crystal Ship
Detail of “COINCIDENCES”
“Landscape n.2” (2021), print on PVC scaffold sheet, 17 x 14 meters. Pastificio Cerere, Rome. Photo by Carlo Romano
“Landscape n.3” (2021). Pinacoteca Civica, Foggia. Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro
“L’antiporta” (2021), paint on wall, dimensions variable. Biblioteca Ugo Tognazzi, Pomezia. Curated by Marcello Smarrelli and Pastificio Cerere for Sol Indiges. Photo by Lorenzo Palmieri
Detail of “L’antiporta”
Detail of “Cardi (1571-2021).” Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro
Detail of “Disegno d’esame.” Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro
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More Than 200,000 Rivets Secure the Ultra-Thin Aluminum Facets of ‘The Orb’ by Marc Fornes
by Aurelia Butler 2 April 2025, 21:35
Photos by © Younes Bounhar / Doublespace Photography. All images © Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, shared with permission
More Than 200,000 Rivets Secure the Ultra-Thin Aluminum Facets of ‘The Orb’ by Marc Fornes
April 2, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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From geometric, white panels riveted together into an undulating sphere, Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY’s newest public installation invites visitors to immerse themselves in a luminous experience on Google’s Charleston East Campus in California.
Designed as a physical embodiment of innovation and creativity, “The Orb” invites us into a 10-meter-tall, 26-meter-wide labyrinthine form made of ultra-thin aluminum. “Edged yet edgeless, surfaces curve, branch, split, rejoin, and split again,” the studio (previously) says. “This extreme curvature—achieved through cutting-edge computational design—enables the surfaces to be entirely self-supporting despite being just three millimeters thick.”
“The Orb” comprises 6,441 individual components connected with more than 217,000 rivets. During the day, a pattern of holes speckles sunlight across the pavilion and onto the ground. At night, the structure is illuminated, casting deep shadows that contrast the bright details.
Fornes’ mission, hybridizing elements of art and architecture, is to spark “the joy wandering, the joy of marveling.”
Find more on THEVERYMANY website.
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A Monumental Immersive Installation by ENESS Prompts Joy and Togetherness
by Aurelia Butler 24 February 2025, 16:00
“Forest Dancer.” All images courtesy of ENESS, shared with permission
A Monumental Immersive Installation by ENESS Prompts Joy and Togetherness
February 24, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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A nine-meter-tall passageway made of eight individual arches enticed visitors into ENESS’s latest installation (previously). Last month at Quoz Arts Fest 2025 in Dubai, Forest Dancer comprised a monumental entry and an immersive exhibition of illuminated inflatable forms inside a contemporary building.
With mushroom-like proportions, pixellated patterns, and a slew of changing hues, ENESS’s work encompasses a central character surrounded by psychedelic trees, mountains, insects, and boulder-like bean bags.
“As artists, we work in many contexts—inside galleries and museums, in (the) public realm and even creating small art pieces for the home,” said ENESS founder Nimrod Weis. “This approach of ‘art is everywhere’ means that we responded to the inspiring architecture by creating an artwork that is at once a conversation with the built form and an installation in its own right.”
This year’s festival was curated around the theme of an Arabic proverb meaning “a hut holds a thousand friends,” inspiring creative responses that center bringing people of all ages together and promoting interactivity.
A statement says, “The entire exhibition, spanning over 600 square meters, is an ode to the power and importance of creativity in the face of online obsession, geopolitical upheaval, and the rise of dark forces taking us far from the soulfulness of art, human connection, and gentle contemplation,” says a statement.
Find more on ENESS’s website.
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Fantastical Figures Illuminate Urban Buildings in Amanda Lobos’ Murals and Installations
by Aurelia Butler 20 February 2025, 19:18
“Ventura” (2024), Festa da Luz, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All images courtesy of Amanda Lobos, shared with permission
Fantastical Figures Illuminate Urban Buildings in Amanda Lobos’ Murals and Installations
February 20, 2025
ArtDesignIllustration
Kate Mothes
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Vibrant contrasts, eye-opening patterns, and mischievous creatures are just a few of the characteristics of Brazilian artist Amanda Lobos’ beguiling scenes. Based in Vila Velha, about an eight-hour drive up the coast from Rio de Janeiro, Lobos works extensively across a range of mediums, from graphic and product design to murals and public installations.
A large-scale inflatable work titled “Ventura” was installed last year on the top of a building in the city of Belo Horizonte. Lobos calls upon the philosophy of Indigenous Brazilian environmentalist and philosopher Ailton Krenak, who posits that humankind should live in harmony with nature rather than trying to control it.
Mural for Festival Nalata (2023), 5 x 8 meters. Av. Faria Lima nº822, São Paulo, Brazil
Lobos’ all-seeing “Ventura,” which translates to “fortune,” perches on a corner of a tall building and oversees its domain, double-faced with two eyes on each side and one of its legs curled up casually on the ledge.
This work “is about the agony and dilemma of returning a star to the sky,” Lobos says in a statement, describing “Ventura” as “condemned to the duality of the fantastic and the real.”
Much of the artist’s work is intentionally left open to interpretation. “I believe that what I want to communicate to viewers is already embedded in my work visually, allowing them to interpret it however they wish—that’s the beauty of it!” Lobos tells Colossal. “I don’t like to be too literal or overly serious with my concepts; I enjoy the creative process and the freedom it gives me.”
In vivid murals, Lobos applies a similar juxtaposition of mystery and play, as coy characters dance within colorful panels or long walls illuminate the joys of learning. An expansive mural at a school in the Jardim Limoeiro neighborhood of Serra celebrates science, art, curiosity, and play.
MC.Arte mural for the Penélope Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Jardim Limoeiro, Serra, Espírito Santo, Brazil (2023). Photo by Ana Luzes
“My favorite thing about painting murals—besides seeing them come to life on a large scale from an initial sketch on paper or a 30-centimeter canvas—is the process itself,” Lobos tells Colossal. She adds:
Executing the piece and watching it unfold is truly special. The feeling of applying paint with no “Ctrl+Z” is humbling, and working on such a large surface teaches you to embrace mistakes and adapt in new ways. Every wall is a fresh learning experience.
Lobos is soon heading to Mexico to paint her first mural outside of Brazil looking forward to collaborating with two other artists on a pair of murals for the Movimento Cidade festival in August.
We’ve shared a handful of public art projects here, but you can head over to Behance or Instagram to see a wide range of the designer’s vibrant product collaborations and commissions.
Three illustrated tarot cards created for the publishing company TAG Livros, referencing iconic authors
“Ventura”
“Tropical Transformation” mural for brand activation of Devassa beer at the Casa7 event venue, Vitória, Espirito Santo, Brazil
Six illustrated tarot cards created for the publishing company TAG Livros, referencing iconic authors
Interior mural for CASACOR Espírito Santo
MC.Arte mural in progress for the Penélope Municipal Early Childhood Education Center
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A New Documentary Traces How a Faith Ringgold Mural at Rikers Island Helped Women Break Free
by Aurelia Butler 13 February 2025, 14:10
Detail of “For the Women’s House” (1972). All images from ‘Paint Me a Road Out of Here’
A New Documentary Traces How a Faith Ringgold Mural at Rikers Island Helped Women Break Free
February 13, 2025
ArtFilmHistorySocial Issues
Grace Ebert
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In 1971, Faith Ringgold (1930-2024) received her first public art commission. New York City offered the late artist a $3,000 grant to paint a mural at the Women’s House of Detention on Rikers Island. After going inside and speaking with those incarcerated in the notorious prison, Ringgold decided to base the work around a request from one of the women about what she hoped the piece would depict: “I want to see a road leading out of here.”
In Ringgold’s characteristically bold palette, the resulting mural features more than a dozen figures, many of whom are employed in professions unavailable to women at the time. Vibrant and sliced into eight sections, “For the Women’s House” portrays doctors, bus drivers, basketball players, and the yet-to-be-realized vision of a woman as president. The large-scale work was a tribute to the deferred dreams of those who were locked up and a directive to reimagine the stereotypes put on incarcerated people.
According to ArtNet, the artist continued her relationship with the detained women and returned to the facility each month to provide “courses in subjects ranging from mask-making and theater to career counseling and drug addiction prevention.”
When Rikers Island transitioned to housing men in 1998, though, the Department of Corrections painted over the work, concealing it under a thick layer of white paint.
A new documentary directed by Catherine Gund chronicles Ringgold’s fight to regain control over the mural as it tells a broader story about the injustices of the U.S. justice system. Paint Me a Road Out of Here, released by Aubin Pictures, features conversations with Ringgold before her death last year, along with artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, who has been commissioned to create a new work to replace “For the Women’s House.”
The film comes at a time when more artists who were formerly incarcerated are gaining attention as they point out the dehumanization and cruelty at the heart of the prison system. Jesse Krimes, for example, interrogates the material conditions of life inside as he incorporates soap bars, playing cards, newspapers, and bedsheets into his practice. And at a similarly infamous facility, artist Moath al-Alwi sculpts ships from cardboard, dental floss, and threads from his prayer cap while detained at Guantánamo Bay.
“For the Women’s House” (1972)
While the film shares the story of Ringgold’s nearly lost mural—which was relocated in 2022—it also speaks to the power of community and connection through art and making, particularly in places where despair and degradation are rampant. “Art gives us permission to imagine a world beyond what currently exists,” one interviewee in the film says.
Paint Me a Road Out of Here is currently screening at the Film Forum in New York. Keep an eye on Aubin Pictures’ website and Instagram for additional locations.
The artist with the mural
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public art

Latest story

Reskate’s Youthful Murals Transform into Glowing Symbols of Peace

More stories

Across 92 Screens in Times Square, Yuge Zhou’s ‘Trampoline Color Exercise’ Celebrates Global Unity

A Rippling Townhouse Facade by Alex Chinneck Takes a Seat in a London Square

A Bold Metaphysical Portal by Hilma’s Ghost Stretches 600 Feet Across Grand Central Station

Monumental Murals by Agostino Iacurci Vibrantly Reimagine Urban Facades

More Than 200,000 Rivets Secure the Ultra-Thin Aluminum Facets of ‘The Orb’ by Marc Fornes

A Monumental Immersive Installation by ENESS Prompts Joy and Togetherness

Fantastical Figures Illuminate Urban Buildings in Amanda Lobos’ Murals and Installations

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