We are exposed to a multitude of distractions on a daily basis. It takes a skilled mindset to accomplish what’s spiritually known as the state of flow: a level of hyper-focus that’s unencumbered by the world around them. Recently Skount completed a new mural for the Urban Art Festival in Amsterdam titled “Home of the Emotional Flow,” an introspective pictorial, and a glimpse into the artist’s spirituality.
About the Mural
“Home of the Emotional Flow” depicts the search for emotional flow. Akin to the state of flow, the focus is to channel of emotional life with freely through your thoughts. At the bottom of our consciousness there is always an unrealized euphoria, hindered by subtle moods that flow and regress as we carry-out our daily routine.
Here he used a colorful image inspired by a fairytale, a man like something out of The Prince and The Pauper or The Frog Prince. The face is exceptionally detailed in abstract geometrics, creating a hypnotizing effect on the viewer. A frozen motion, smoke is seen being pulled between the small house and this altered psychedelic reality.
The mural is a delightful and thought-provoking illustration of emotional Flow. Although elusive, it is necessary to delve into the deepest sanctuary of our inner self, so that we may strive to understand the situations and states that generate internal conflicts. In understanding, we can achieve a state of harmony with ourselves and our environment.
About the Artist
Skount a.k.a Raúl Garcia Pereira Jerez de la Frontera is a Spanish artist currently based in Amsterdam. Inspired by the classical Spanish theatre of Almagro, the town where he spent his childhood, Skount’s oneiric masked characters beckon the viewer into their mysterious and playful dreamscapes. The great playwrights of Skount’s youth formed a lasting impression, where he regards life as a wonderful play, in which everyone has a role.
Driven by the fundamental desire to free his own mind, Skount’s creativity is limitless. With a background in Street art, his artistic expression spans across paint, paper, music, performance, video art, sculpture, and installation. Yet, he always comes back to masks. Since ancient times masks have been used for sacred rituals, as ornaments, or most popularly in performances and theatre. The mask disguises the identity of its wearer, and symbolizes the need to hide or repress a person’s desires, fears, and concerns. Skount’s work observes that everybody carries a mask. With it we conceal our identity and adopt a more socially acceptable image to get by day-to-day. But, we also choose the moments and people with whom we can reveal our true nature, and take off our masks.
His irrepressible curiosity for other cultures has inspired him to travel and study different forms of creativity and traditions around the world. He’s worked and exhibited throughout Spain, Europe, Israel, Kuwait, Bali, China, Japan, Australia, Mexico and the United States.
About the Urban Art Festival Amsterdam
The Urban art festival with Urban art now and R.U.A. was founded in 2010. By 2013, it was the city’s largest urban and street-art festival, just three years after its inception. It features events, exhibitions and workshops that gather international and local artists to build and enhance the community. For its sixth edition they presented “The Art of Painting,” a group show with 50 top artists to create an expansive and memorable collection of artwork in a diverse range of disciplines and styles.
