murals

Posts tagged
with murals

Art

Nighttime Reveals the Inner Vitality of Reskate’s Dynamic Glow-in-the-Dark Murals

By day, Reskate Studio’s bold, deceptively simple murals outline the forms of rope, a mountain, or a dog in a neutral palette. When the sun sets, though, an entirely new image emerges from within the unassuming motif. María López and Javier de Riba, who work collaboratively as Reskate, continue to paint bold, light-sensitive works as part of their ongoing Harreman Project (previously). The artists say their intention is “to try to light up dark corners of cities, both installing new lights and encouraging citizens to interact with the wall—painting with light on it.”

“Harreman” is a Basque word meaning “relationship,” a combination of two verbs: hartu, which means “receive” and eman, which means “give.” The duo is interested in etymology, duality, and the way language can present multiple interpretations or how some information can only be revealed in a certain light. During the day, Reskate’s compositions appear uncomplicated in cream white and dark gray, but this discloses only half the story. At night, lights illuminate scenes created with photo-sensitive paint, like a koi fish appearing in a net or dogs brawling within the silhouette of a larger, much calmer canine.

Reskate installs vibrant, monumental murals with a focus in locations around Europe. Find more work on Behance and on the artists’ website, where you can also shop limited-edition screenprints. 

 

Art

Georgian Culture and Ukrainian Pride Highlight the 2022 Tbilisi Mural Fest

For the last four years, Tbilisi Mural Fest has facilitated more than 40 public artworks around the Georgian capitol, and the 2022 event brought a spate of new projects to the city. Given the nation’s proximity to Russia and that country’s groundless war against Ukraine, festival organizers highlighted renowned Ukrainian muralist Sasha Korban who painted a large-scale portrait of a woman in customary clothing facing the Russian embassy. Other works include celebrations of Georgian culture and history, like a large-scale tablecloth with traditional motifs by Chertova Tina and Mohamed l’Ghacham’s dreamlike rendering of the living room of Georgian thinker and author Ilia Chavchavadze.

See some of the 2022 additions below and those from previous years on Instagram.

 

Art

New Banksy Works Emerge Among the Destruction in Ukraine

Banksy (previously) has been traveling through the battle-scarred streets of Ukraine, producing a slew of works directly confronting Russia’s unwarranted and unjust aggression. The elusive street artist’s signature stencils have been spotted among the rubble of bombed buildings and barricades in Borodyanka and Gorenka, both in the Bucha Region, while others are just outside the capital city of Kyiv. Each centers on the strength and resiliency of the Ukrainian people.

The works broadly criticize the ongoing war and its disastrous effects on the everyday lives of citizens, depicting a woman outfitted with hair rollers, a bathrobe, and a gas mask grasping a fire extinguisher, a bearded man scrubbing his back in an open-air bathtub, and silhouettes of young children teeter-tottering on a left-behind hunk of steel. Perhaps the most pointed piece is that of a young boy slamming Russian President Vladimir Putin to the ground during a judo match—according to the BBC, Putin has projected an interest in the sport.

Watch Banksy at work on these pieces in a recent YouTube video, and find more on Instagram. This is the first time the artist has emerged since the Spraycation series 15 months ago.

 

Art Design

Vibrant Letters Drift and Twist in Bold Typographic Murals by Pref

For British artist Pref, the art of decipherment is as integral to his murals as the expressively layered designs. Known for looping and layering blocky text to give the illusion of floating forms, contrasting letters wriggle, tilt, overlap, and cast bold shadows. His training in graphic design spurred an abiding fascination with typography, and while much that field is oriented toward clear communication, Pref is interested in literally twisting messages. He meticulously arranges each letter to form puzzle-like compositions, encouraging the viewer to work out a word or phrase. “The wording for my pieces are usually autobiographical,” he explains, “like clues and relics from my past or a commentary on current times.”

You can see more of Pref’s work on his website and follow updates on Instagram.

 

Art

More Than 70 International Artists Descend on Cincinnati for BLINK, a Massive Mural and Light Festival

For the first time since 2019, the largest public art and light festival in the U.S. brought a spate of new works to Cincinnati. More than 70 artists from around the world gathered in mid-October for BLINK, a four-day event that spanned 30 blocks across the Midwestern city. In attendance were quite a few artists featured previously on Colossal, including Max Sansing (previously), PichiAvo (previously), Shantell Martin (previously), Nespoon (previously), and Faith XLVII (previously).

We’ve gathered some of our favorite works created during this year’s event—you’ll find Martin’s signature line-drawn figures encircling a cityscape, PichiAvo’s vibrant amalgam of art history and graffiti, and a new delicate lace design from Nespoon—although it’s worth heading to BLINK’s Instagram to take a peek at the light projections, immersive projects, and other murals, as well.

 

Art

Street Artist Blu Protests the Valencia Port Expansion with a Tumultuous Battle Between Nature and Guards

The legendary anonymous street artist known as Blu has spent his career critiquing the ills of capitalism, the carceral system, and the destruction of the environment, among myriad other problems afflicting the world today. One of his most recent projects brought him back to Sensemurs Valencia to paint a charged mural protesting the expansion of the port in the Spanish city.

The 2022 festival centered around the government’s extension of the industrial area to the north, which would “mean, among many other things, the final lunging to the beaches of l’Albufera (and) the multiplication of air pollution of ships and truck traffic.” Part of a movement to halt the proposal, the public art event brought several muralists to the city, including Blu, whose multi-part work features a battle between fist-shaped trees and port defenders. Similar to some of his earlier projects, this piece is designed as a sequence that when photographed and stitched together, creates an animation. Yellow shipping containers morph into armored guards, who are swiftly pummeled and destroyed as nature resurges from the ground.

To see more of Blu’s recent works, including a piece speaking to the current fossil fuel crisis, visit his site and Instagram.