The second new Boulogne mural by Dutch duo TelmoMiel in is titled ‘Gardien de Crécerelle’, French for ‘Guardian of the Kestrels’. Sadly, Kestrel Falcons are endangered in France, and the city of Boulogne asked the artists to create a mural as a call to action to protect this beautiful species before it’s too late.
The artists say of the piece, “The woman in the painting has four arms, expressing two different mind-sets. She’s standing with her arms folded, standing by, not lending a hand. But she’s also holding a stick of some sort, supporting the fragile Kestrels. This is to communicate the choice humans have in the matter, giving support or stand by and watch…”
As ever, the duo’s work is exquisite, poignant and perfectly executed.
Telmo and Miel were formally trained in traditional figurative painting at the Willem de Kooning Academy where they first met. They work separately on ideas and come together with the sketches to see if combinations will then translate into murals. Part of their technique is to distort and overlap their realistic renderings to create something otherworldly. By layering iterations of the same subject over one another, their pieces evoke double-exposure photography and invite multiple viewing points. Miel’s picturesque and dreamy style combined with Telmo’s naughty and provocative one results in multi-layered and complex pieces.
One of the qualities that I find so fascinating and impressive about the pair is their ability to work so seamlessly together. Known for their surreal, detailed and colorful art; they adeptly work free-hand and in tandem, often exchanging places and seamlessly completing each other’s work. They officially partnered up to form TelmoMiel in 2012 and have achieved an astonishing amount during this time.
While most of their murals are gigantic, they also continuously paint with oils on smaller scale, creating bodies of work to exhibit. Their studio work contains individual and collaborative pieces, but all carry the name TelmoMiel. The duo’s works are mesmerizing, insanely detailed and above all, extraordinarily beautiful.
