A blended composition of communities in a somewhat theatrical and warmly surreal rendering with personal features and cross-cultural decorative finesse, these folks painted across 17 silos in Witchita are not just going for special effects.
With a meditation on otherness and inclusiveness, Colombian muralist Gleo has brought the all the neighbors to this wall, intermingling social justice themes with characters and human nature – all passed through her mystical subconscious, her appreciation for ancestral cultures, and layered visual vocabulary.
Organized by multi-disciplinary artist Armando Minjarez the new composition is part of a public painting program and community engagement project called Horizontes that is meant to give visibility to two underrepresented neighborhoods in north Wichita, the predominantly Latino NorthEnd neighborhood and the historically African American Northeast neighborhood.
It looks like a stunningly effective and positive project that draws attention to groups of people who can be rendered invisible by industrial strength systemic blindness.
Aside from its size (4,500 sm), its 650 gallons of paint, and its time and cost overruns with 5 assistants over 11 weeks, the new community mural keeps the conversation fresh, and gives a pretty modern face to the city.
Public art initiatives like this can be a powerful key to fostering community – these Witchita neighborhoods are both physically and psychologically separated by these large grain elevators. The concept of community mural continues to evolve and this one shows promise for engaging modern ways to address social issues while honoring people and traditions.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Collaboration between artists can be fraught with peril; styles don’t mesh, egos don’t play nice, mismatched palettes produce nausea. Here is an example when it works. Rone’s realist/pulp fiction fig...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. "1 Kilo - 3 Euros" by Ani Mrelashvili 2. Shahzia Sikander: Melting Boundaries 3. Heathe...
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! It’s 4th of July weekend here, a patriotic holiday that marks the US independence. This year the overarching oft-repeated phrase is that America is more pol...
“…our collective obligations towards our environment.” You wouldn’t think the phrase would need to be said, yet it sounds revolutionary in a consumer-driven, market-driven society. The Swiss duo NEVE...
Happy Halloween! It’s going to rain on all the Trick or Treaters in the streets in New York tonight. Nevertheless, ye olde drizzle and mist doesn’t really put a damper on the eerie festivities, inclu...