Giulia BlocalThis selection of street art news is a recurring segment of Blocal’s monthly newsletter “Beyond the Walls“. If you want to receive them straight to your inbox every first of the month, along with more surprises, subscribe here.
New Mural by BEZT in Stuttgart, Germany
For the Pfffestival (Stuttgart, Germany), Bezt painted “The Broken Vase,” one of the Polish artist’s many large-scale murals that feel like a studio painting, with an intimacy that treats still life into deeply emotional subjects. Bezt was part of the now legendary Etam Cru street art duo, which gained worldwide recognition for their dreamlike, surreal narrative.
If you want to learn more about Bezt and how the artistic collaboration with Sainer has ended (they are still good friends, though), listen to this interview on Radio Juxtapoz by my friends and festival buddies Evan Pricco and Doug Gillen.
Rise UP Residency Project in Margate, UK
In October, the coastal city of Margate (UK) hosted “Rise UP Residency,” an urban art project intending to create 17 murals highlighting ocean conservation and biodiversity. Some of my favorite street artists were paired with environmental ONGs (in the likes of Sea Shepherd) to transform their battles into an integral landmarks for the community -thanks to the power of public art. All 17 murals are excellent, but since I have to pick one to feature in this article, I’ll go for this mural by Louis Masai, who happens to be also the organizer/curator of the project.
In Louis’ words:
“Within an ocean forest of local kelps and seaweeds (also known as blue carbon) is a floating plastic bottle. Inside the bottle is a trapped local spotted catshark, shocking reports have averaged 2-3 sharks killed every second. Being a local shark highlights that UK oceans are also a part of those statistics. Our partners Sea Shepherd’s sole mission is to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and marine wildlife. They work to defend all marine wildlife, from whales and dolphins to sharks and rays, to fish and krill, without exception. Growing off the plastic bottle is more seaweeds, highlighting the length of time the plastic bottle has already been in the water.”
Louis Masai
New Mural by Manolo Mesa in Cadiz, Spain
One more mural painted supporting an environmental cause is “Oda al Agua” (Ode to water) by Manolo Mesa. The Spanish street artist painted this stunning mural in Cadiz (Spain) to raise awareness of the rescue of the Lagoon of La Janda and the estuary of the Barbate river. Manolo Mesa is one of the protagonists of the Spanish wave in contemporary muralism, a painterly style characterized by the use of brushes instead of spray cans, with the resulting photorealistic effect that gives the nod to Spanish classical masters.
New Mural by Mohamed L’Ghacham in Tbilisi, Georgia
Another street artist pushing the Spanish wave forward is my friend Mohamed L’Ghacham, who has just painted this stunning mural in Tbilisi (Georgia). Titled “Ilia’s room,” the artwork is the natural continuation of Mohamed’s artistic research that transforms candid family moments into large walls in the public space. In this case, the family members are not even in the picture; nevertheless, the image feels so intimate and innermost.
If you want to learn more about the work of this amazing artist, check out the Mohamed L’Ghacham feature that I recently published on the blog.
New Installation by Canemorto in Varallo, Italy
Finally, during this year’s Borderline festival, the Italian brutal art trio Canemorto installed three banners at the UNESCO site of Sacromonte in Varallo, Italy. I love their raw style, especially when juxtaposed with the official context of museums and galleries -the outcome is so unsettling.
