Monday, December 5, 2011

On the other side of town, they are painting the town red

ndp
Who are these guys? Where did they come from, and how did they do this?
Over in the Wynwood section of Miami sidewalks are littered with boxes of cans, cartons of paints, ladders, cherry pickers, and scaffolding. You can witness walls coming to life in paint that is sprayed, rolled, splattered, and even glued on. No surface is left untouched. Check out the Wynwood walls.
The energy of the creative soldiers is palpable in the air. It's much more energizing than a walk through the convention center!
I heard that Goldman developers had invited 40 world class street artists to do walls in the area this weekend- but since Wednesday started young artists have been coming out of the palm trees asking store owners for walls. There are more new paintings than I can count! Here is just a tiny sampling shot from my car driving near the Bakehouse art Complex.








Nearby is a fascinating show called the Underbelly project. Street artists were sworn to secrecy and led to an abandoned half constructed underground subway stop to create artworks that would forever be sealed from view.
I think the idea of art created OUT of the commercial mainstream is what entices me to be so appreciative. The art cannot be bought, it may be ephemeral, it exists because it satisfied an urge, and often, it serves as a beautiful decorative element in an absurdly ugly urban jungle.
Hurray for the street artists! They are keeping the rest of us in the art world honest.

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