Featured above is the work of the prolific UK-based Snub23. Several more images from the diverse range of artworks that the aWall Mural Projects, founded and curated by Miami-based Registered Artist, recently brought to The Santa Clara Elementary School in Allapattah follow. All were captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad during the week of Miami’s Art Basel.
Founded and curated by Miami-based Registered Artist, the Second Annual aWall Mural Projects took place in Miami from Dec 1-9 bringing a diversely rich range of artworks to The Santa Clara Elementary School in Allapattah. Featured above is the hugely talented Asian artist Sheep Chen at work on a delightfully playful, brightly hued mural. Several more images — all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — at Allapattah’s Santa Clara Elementary School follow:
While wandering the streets of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, I’ve come upon dozens of portraits of females in a wide range of styles and media. The artwork pictured above was fashioned by the city’s celebrated veteran muralist Rami Meiri. More images of girls on walls, including several that surfaced within the past few months, follow:
Tel Aviv-based muralist and graffiti writer Arad Levy
Tel Aviv-based muralist and tattoo artist MUHA ack
Tel Aviv-based muralist and graffiti writer Dales One
Mosaic of over 50,000 beer bottle caps — collected throughout Europe — fashioned by Rinat Look Elhik
Tel Aviv-based crochet artist and yarn bomber Liza Mamali
Tel Aviv-based designer and street artist Imaginary Duck
Introducing the general public to an eclectic range of outstanding street artists from across the globe while boosting the development of the local street art scene, the third Russian biennale Artmossphere is now near completion. A particular highlight of this year’s Artmossphere was Shepard Fairey’s huge outdoor mural, Tunnel Vision, inspired by the bold aesthetics of Russian Constructivism. Several more images — representative of the wonderfully diverse artwork that made its way into Artmossphere 2018 — follow:
Shepard Fairey at work earlier on with a little help from his friends
Amsterdam-based Adele Renault at work on one of her signature birds with the legendary Martha Cooper capturing it all
Brooklyn-based assemblage artist Hyland Mather at work as he repurposes discarded materials into an intriguing installation
Swedish graphic designer Finsta’s completed installation
POW! WOW!, the international art movement that celebrates culture, music and art in cities throughout the globe, continues this week to enhance the city of San Jose. The image featured above was painted by Ivan Gonzalez. Several more works — many in progress and all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:
Local artist Drew Flores at work — on ladder — with a little help from his friend
Dragon 76 and Woes — along with local students — posing in front of their mural
Iranian brothers, Icy and Sot at work on “Ladders to Nowhere,” a metaphor for the inhumane US prison system, which makes it almost impossible for a released prisoner to move up in society
Founded and directed by Jasper Wong, POW! WOW! is an international art movement that celebrates culture, music and art in cities throughout the globe, as it engages the broader community.
In 2017 — its inaugural festival in San Jose, California — it added 20 murals to the city’s landscape It is back again this week with new public murals, musical gatherings, educational programming and a range of diverse activities. Featured above is a close-up of a huge mural in progress by the extraordinarily talented twin brothers How and Nosm. Several more images from earlier this week — all captured by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad — follow:
The Audubon Mural Project, a collaboration between the National Audubon Society and Gitler & ____ Gallery, continues to enhance Hamilton Heights — the late John James Audubon’s upper Manhattan neighborhood — with a range of public artworks featuring images of of climate-endangered birds. Since I’d last documented this project, dozens of new murals have surfaced. The image pictured above features a pinyon jay, painted by Vermont native Mary Lacy. Several more follow:
If you are an artist and you would like to participate in this project, you can e-mail amp@gitlerand.com. And to find out how to help sponsor a mural, check here.
Two brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed murals – one by Sonny Sundancer and the other by ASVP – surfaced last month on the exterior walls of IS 318 in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Sonny’s mural– at the corner of Lorimer Street and Throop Avenue – depicts a Yawanawa girl from Acre, Brazil, along with a jaguar, representative of a species that is sacred to the indigenous peoples and at risk of extinction. ASVP‘s black and white tower mural — painted on the opposite wall — features an elephant, bear, tiger and more, all interdependent and threatened or endangered in some capacity.
While visiting the school last week for the murals’ dedication and ribbon cutting, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Greenpoint Innovations founder Stephen Donofrio, who had organized the The Point NYC project.
These hugely impressive murals are one component of The Point NYCinitiative. Just what is The Point NY?
Its mission is to respond to the human impact of climate change and to exercise the power we all have, particularly the youth, to take action for a better future.
And what inspired the direction that this project has taken?
It was inspired by a comic book story —Tre, by Sathviga ‘Sona’ Sridhar — about a climate change superhero. Sona had become passionate about climate change when her town in Chennai, India was flooded and when she heard about the Climate Comic Contest by UNICEF and Comics Uniting Nations, she decided to submit her art.
How did you connect with Sonny Sundancer and ASVP? Their murals are perfect for this project, as they are exquisite and brilliantly reflect environmental issues.
Karin du Maire introduced me to Sonny, and I met ASVP at the Moniker Art Fair in Greenpoint this past spring. Both Sonny and ASVP were ideal to work with, as they are not only wonderful artists, but caring people.
Were you presented with any particular challenges in seeing the project through?
Coordinating with the Department of Education was somewhat of a task. And then discovering that a segment of the wall that Sonny had completed had been coated to protect it from any lasting paint was another challenge. But – with considerable effort — we overcame them both!
How have the members of the local community responded to these two murals?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. They love them.
While visiting PS9’s STEAM Mural Project in Prospect Heights last month, I came upon a delightfully playful mural gracing the outside of the school building. STEAM Mural Project curator Jeff Beler told me a bit about the intriguing visionary artist behind it — Cuban native Myztico Campo. I was delighted to, soon afterwards, have the opportunity to interview the Brooklyn-based, self-taught shamanic artist.
When did you first begin to make art?
My earliest memory is of melting crayons on the radiator, so that I could watch the colors drip. When I was about five or six, I started to draw.
What inspired you at the time?
I used to watch my father draw caricatures. I was fascinated.
Are there any other early art-related memories that stand out?
Growing up in Hells Kitchen, I attended Catholic school for twelve years. When I was 7 years old, I drew an image of Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs eating nuns. My classmates loved it. But the nuns didn’t; they were horrified. They responded to it by slapping me across my knuckles.
How did your family respond to your early art-making?
Both my parents were encouraging. They loved what I did.
What about your particular visionary aesthetic? When and how did that evolve?
When I was sixteen, I started to explore psychedelics — such as mescaline and peyote — and I began to have visions. I started then to create art that reflected an alternate consciousness. I felt as though I was connecting to the Godhead of infinite love.
Are there any specific cultures that have inspired or influenced your visionary aesthetic?
Among those that have influenced me are indigenous cultures… aboriginal, prehistoric and African.
Are there artists out there who particularly inspire you? Who impact your visionary aesthetic — or whose aesthetic you relate to?
Your artwork can be amazingly detailed. Approximately how long does it take you to complete a piece?
Anywhere between 40-60 hours.
Are you generally satisfied with your final piece?
There is always room for improvement; I sometimes go back to a “finished” piece and tweak it.
What percentage of your time is devoted to art?
I’d say somewhere between 5-7 hours a day are devoted to visual art.
How has your art evolved through the years?
Originally creating art was a hobby; I didn’t take it seriously. But as I grew, I began to see myself as a vessel for the art to express itself. And it became very important to me. I’ve, also, expanded my range of media to include sculpture, 3-D art and digital art.
Have you shown your work in galleries?
Mostly in alternative venues. My work has been exhibited abroad in England, Spain, Peru, and here in the US in New Orleans and in New York.
You do quite a bit of live painting. What is that like?
I see it as sacred form of communication with the people who are around me.
I discovered your particular aesthetic while visiting the STEAM Mural Project at PS 9 in Prospect Heights. When did you first paint in a public space?
The first public mural that I painted was in 2005 in East Yorkshire, England.
And since then?
Among the places I’ve painted outdoor murals are North Bergen, New Jersey and Tarapoto, Peru. And last year, I painted New York’s first black light street art at Underhill Walls here in Brooklyn.
What are some of your other interests?
I also produce films, direct music videos, compose and play music and write poetry.
That’s quite impressive! What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
To heal and to raise consciousness. I see myself as a conduit to a higher consciousness.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos of Myztico Campo‘s artwork — as seen in his Brooklyn studio/living space — and of his PS 9 mural by Lois Stavsky
Directed by Myztico Campo, the featured video stars Dakota Day, co-founder and lead vocalist for the psychedelic soul band Brooklyn Bonez, performing Buddy Guy’s “Skin Deep.”
