Building A Bridge In A Divided Community Amid Spike In Tourism Industry
Mural festivals are a powerful force in today’s artistic era. They can be divisive or unifying, because street art is a facet of placemaking, a sort of ‘face’ each community presents to its residents and visitors. As such, concrete mission statements from festivals must guide this force, and those missions determine a community’s tone. Akumal …
“Waiting”: A Mural By Artez In La Bañeza, Spain
Earlier this week, while reporting on the collaborative mural ‘Where’s Wally’ in Sacramento, California, I noted how murals stand apart from other art forms due to their public nature, and the integral roles they play within their surrounding communities. With his latest mural in La Bañeza, Spain, titled “Waiting,” Serbian street artist Artez pays homage …
‘Where’s Wally’ A Collaboration from Axel Void, Emilio Cerezo, Ivan Floró & Alberto Montes
Muralism derives its distinction as an art form from its lack of isolation. Rather than facing the confines of a canvas, which can receive the same perception regardless of its placement, a mural is rooted in its spot. Its size and position within the face of a community makes it a unique aspect of that …
A Mural On Co-existence & Common Humanity By Sebas Velasco & Axel Void
Spanish artist Sebastian Velasco and Miami-based artist Axel Void recently achieved a new chapter in their ongoing creative relationship with their latest collaboration for Mural Fest Kosovo. Their piece, titled ZOGJTE (Birds) can be found on two massive facades in the Balkan nation’s principal city of Ferizaj. Highlighting both of the artists’ technical prowess and …
Jad El Khoury’s curtains Adorn An Abandoned Building In Stavanger With A Message Of Hope
Earlier this spring, we were taken with the work of Lebanese artist Jad El Khoury, who completed his both ideologically and technically amazing street art installation, Burj El Hawa, otherwise known as the Tower of Wind. Nuart Festival Founder and Director Martyn Reed called this feat “a standout work leagues ahead of anything else,” and …
Mural By Artez For DesOrdes festival in Ordes, Spain
Large-scale street art murals are, by nature, grand and flashy. How could they not be? Any artist provided with a canvas so large that it occupies an entire building’s facade naturally pours their passion into the project. As a result, the themes trend topical and grandiose. Serbian artist Artez often explores the quieter side of …
Beholders: A Timely Look At The Ongoing Migrant Crisis By Jofre Oliveras
When I took World Cultures in 10th Grade, my teacher, a steely yet lovable cynic who could provoke laughter and the fear of God in the span of a sentence, sagely told us, “the human race will not get along until aliens come to Earth.” Straightforward enough, I thought. People fought, I knew this. My …
REWILD By Escif: A Rewind Symbol To Reconnect With And Respect The Earth
Spanish artist ESCIF has teamed up with cultural initiative Splash and Burn, curated by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic and coordinated by Charlotte Pyatt, for their latest endeavor, titled REWILD. This ambitious, multifaceted project is centered around a stunning land intervention, supplemented by murals, and culminating with a short film. The entire project is inspired by …
IPAF’s 8th Edition Concluded In Martinique July 2019
Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Martinique on behalf of Europe during his fourth voyage in 1502. Encyclopedia Britannica writes that it was at this time that the island received its current name, which “is probably a corruption of the Indian name Madiana (“Island of Flowers”) or Madinina (“Fertile Island with Luxuriant Vegetation”), as reputedly …
Recap Of Casalabate Street Summer Festival In Lecce, Italy
Lecce, Italy boasts multi-faceted points of fame. Known for its agricultural exports, the capitol metropolis is also renowned for its limestone. As a result, Lecce features an astonishing amount of Baroque sculpture and architecture, “marked by heavy building speculation that began in the 1970s,” for which it is commonly referred to as “the Florence of …
First large-scale installation By Dourone In Angelholm, Sweden
Earlier this month, Spanish street art duo Dourone completed their first large-scale project in Sweden. Located in the city of Angelholm, their mural, titled “LITA 00 :00,02,” appears to be the next step in their ‘Space-time H’ series, which the pair initiated in December 2018. In a statement, the artists explain that this piece “is …
Mural By Artez for Urban Vision Festival in Acquapendente, Italy
At the beginning of July, as summer crescendoed into its critical mass of long days bursting with life, residents, visitors, and artists in Acquapendente, Italy gathered for the fourth edition of UV Collective’s Urban Vision Festival. The event, hosted in this agriculturally-minded city situated in the northern region of Viterbo, has hosted an esteemed roster …