Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann, collectively known as Telmo Miel, are a Dutch duo hailing from Rotterdam. In the [street] art world, their work is arguably some of the best that you’ll find out there – I mean, it’s outstanding. OK, sure, I may be a little biased here because admittedly, I’m a huge ‘appreciator’ of their work. But still. Their style – easily recognizable, seamlessly blends layers with abstraction and surrealism to create incredible, dreamlike scenarios that reference both human and animal worlds. It’s no surprise then, that this duo was recently invited to participate in Street Art Avenue Grand Paris.
The project took place in the outskirts of Paris, where organizers wanted to create a street art gallery with murals strategically positioned next to canal Saint-Denis. This offers observers a unique way of viewing the gallery: on a boat, from the canal. In fact, art tours were set up with this very thing in mind. Telmo Miel were asked to paint a mural in their own style while referencing water:“… We forged a design with our collage-technique, creating an ‘abstractified’ portrait with recognizable parts that needed to be clear. The fish was one of those ‘clearer’ areas. Also, the face of the woman holding wet flowers. She tries to offer the fish this gift with good [intentions], though the fish has no need or purpose for it.”
As is common with their work, this latest mural entitled Like Giving Flowers to a Fish, encourages viewers to look at the subject matter from different perspectives; Telmo Miel use multiple images that are layered over one another, and pieces that aren’t normally seen as one, now complete each other in a strangely fluid way. Not surprisingly, this mural is rich in color and texture. Telmo Miel strive to bring color to grey areas, where inhabitants will eventually feel the positive influence that just a little bit of color, can offer.
