Irish illustrator Joe Caslin has just completed a two-mural campaign this spring in Dublin’s city center on the side of a castle in Co Galway in support of this May’s country-wide same-sex marriage referendum. At the end of decades of activism by many in the LGBT community, these giant murals may have helped to sway the outcome – they certainly resulted in a lot of attention on social media and even the front page of the International New York Times.
Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)
The image on the side of the seven story Mercantile building was inspired by Meeting on the Turret Stairs, the sorrowful passing of unrequited lovers depicted by Fredric William Burton’s in his1864 painting. Wind and rain quickly damaged the pasted paper version of his hand-drawn illustration, but not before it was recorded and parlayed across mobile devices and television screens.
Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)
Far away from the city and surrounded by cows grazing in bucolic pastures, Caslin’s second illustration, this time featuring two lovely young women in an embrace, was affixed with potato-starch based paste onto the façade of a grand structure, the Caherkinmonwee Castle in Co Galway. If you were looking for a more fitting frame for your portrait, you would be hard pressed to beat this one and Joe once again proves that location and context is king (or queen).
Joe Caslin. The Castle. Detail. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © Gavin Leane)
Joe Caslin. Drawing for The Castle. (photo © Joe Caslin)
Joe Caslin. The Castle. Caherkinmonwee Castle. Galway, Ireland. (photo © David Sexton)
Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)
Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)
Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)
Joe Caslin. Equity. Process shot. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)
Joe Caslin. Drawing for Equity. (photo © Joe Caslin)
Joe Caslin. Equity. Dublin, Ireland. (photo © Peter O’Dwyer)
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Post-Graffiti? Surreal-Primitive? Flat-Channel Brute? This stuff is hard to categorize sometimes as the roots are in graffiti and advertising and illustration and communications and all art history- ...
Many graffiti writers look forward to blizzard in New York because between the winds and the snowplows and slippery streets, nobody is paying attention to the lonely aerosol sprayer hitting up a wall...
OKUDA is melting! Even in sub-zero frigid weather like this! OKUDA. With Artmossphere in collaboration with the National Art Museum of the Republic of Sakha. Yakutsk, Russia. (photo courtesy of A...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : 1. Stick to It, Episode 1 : Sticky Community 2. Ella & Pitr / Frappés Pinpins 3. Herakut. Nu...
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring 3rd World Pirate, A Pill NYC, Anglo, Augustine Kofie, Balu, CB23, City Kitty, Icy & Sot, Jerk Face, Jetski, LX One, Solus, Swi...