In early October, the annual SHINE Mural Festival took place in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now in its 4th edition, the event invites artists from all over the world to paint murals and add to the growing public art around the downtown area. This years’ edition brought over the U.K. duo Nomad Clan, to paint a large piece titled “Return to the Sea;” a visual tale inspired by the colonization of Florida which wiped out the Tocobaga Indians that occupied the land prior.
About the Mural
Nomad Clan’s work often represents local history or socio-economic issues related to the location of the piece, so it’s no surprise their new mural is a striking illustration of Spanish Conquistador Panfilo de Narvez, who, in 1527 accidentally landed on the shores of St. Petersburg and resulted in wiping out the native Tocobaga Indians who had lived in the area for over 600 years.
His fleet of 5 ships & 600 men were headed to Northern Mexico to colonize the area, however weakened by storms and desertion only 300 of the men landed at Tampa Bay and were consequently greeted by hostile natives. Narvez travelled north through Florida brutalizing chiefs and occupying territories, until he met his end after his army was weakened. Forced to flee his largely unsuccessful mission, karma sent a second sea storm to destroy his escape rafts. Narvez was never seen again.
The artists chose to recreate that final moment across the large wall. Using the conquistador as a focal point, we see his head is just above the stormy sea. His sinking ship, is in the background, off in the distance. It is a vivid depiction of the chilling tale.
About the Artists
Nomad Clan is the collective of Cbloxx and AYLO, an internationally-acclaimed, street art muralist duo based in Manchester UK, proudly sponsored by Kobra Spray Paint.
When the pair collaborate the fusion delivers an unmistakable style. Each mural has a strong significance to the environment it sits in, combining playful scenes often from local heritage with detailed portraits of characters from some of the the tales they hear in the local public spaces. The main focus of the work is to proudly celebrate local history but on a deeper level often contains the socio economic issues affecting the area, for example the demise of the fishing industry, the closures of mills and lack of jobs, inner city social deprivation, etc.
Nomad Clan have been noted as ‘One of street art’s finest female duos’ by Widewalls magazine, as well as ‘Street arts hottest UK talent’ by Global Street Art blog and pegged as one of the top 5 female street artist in the world by The Guardian Newspaper.
Nomad Clan: Website | Facebook | Instagram
SHINE Festival: Website | Facebook | Instagram
