Murals in Wynwood

Fabio Panone Lopez.  "Birds and Flowers."  Brazil / Miami

There are more than 300 image murals in Wynwood this year, and this is one of my

favorites.  The artist is Fabio Lopez from Porto Alegre in Brazil, although he now works

from studios in Sao Paulo and Miami.  When he does large commissions like this and

needs assistants, he signs "StudioFLOP," which is an anagram of the initials of

his name.

Adrian Avila.  "Two Figures."  Cuba / Miami

Adrian often uses nude figures with faces obscured in his works.  I don't know the

meaning of this work, but anyone who knows art history will recognize a male figure

being shot with arrows and bleeding as the martyr, St. Sebastian.  The abstract gold leaf

around his head may be a halo.  Or they could be Adam and Eve.  Or perhaps she is

St. Irene, Sebastian's cousin, who saved his life (temporarily).  Adrian has also made

oil paintings of these figures, available in a gallery.

Adrian Avila.  "Female Figures Striding."  Cuba / Miami

Adrian is one of the most popular artists at Wynwood; in the last few years he has

created 11 murals for them.  This building is the Greenwood Group, at an intersection,

so there are two large walls to cover.  In the past, they were painted with flowers or

serpents.  Adrian chose to draw five nude female figures on this side, and four

additional figures, both male and female, on the North side.  His drawing recalls

the work of Peter Paul Rubens.

Zosen and Mina Hamada.  "Tropical."
He is from Argentina, she is from Tokyo, and they live in Barcelona.

This husband and wife team travel all over the world painting buildings and walls

in their bright, cheerful, semi-abstract style.

Zosen and Mina Hamada.  "A Fun Day."

A second mural by the husband and wife team, a couple of blocks away.

Ahol.  "Sleepy Eyeballs."  Miami
"Ahol Sniffs Glue" is the nickname for David Anasagasti, one of Miami's most
popular graffiti artists.  Variations of the sleepy eyeballs mural are found on stores
and nightclubs and hotels and warehouses, as well as in private collections all over Miami.

Ahol.  "Sleepy Eyeballs."

Notice how he paints on the sidewalk as well as the wall of this gallery.

Bushwick Collective.  "Trump Destroys Democracy."  New York / Miami

This group of artists started in New York, but now also have a studio in Miami.  They are

often polemical, supporting protection of the environment and anti-Trump.  This is one of

the largest murals in Wynwood; it continues to the right and is about 130 feet long and

16 feet high.  "Come On - What the Hell do You Have to Lose?"

Bushwick Collective.  "Trump Destroys Democracy."  New York / Miami

The central figures are Donald Trump as the Evil Joker from "Batman," holding a knife

to Lady Liberty.  Elswhere souls are wandering into the fires of hell.

Claudia LaBianca.  "Vintage Boutique."   Italy / Miami
Some businesses hire artists to paint their walls.  In this case, a popular store in
Wynwood hired prolific graffiti artist Claudia LaBianca to paint their wall.
Claudia also has several other walls in Wynwood.  Originally from Sicily,
she now works in Miami.  She comes from a family with strong women and often
paints strong, confident, maybe brash women.

Paola Delfin.  "The Black Pacifier."  Mexico
Paola usually paints female figures in her murals.  In this case, she created two murals
side by side with the same name.  A "pacifier" can be what you stick in an infant's mouth
to quiet it, but a "pacifier" is also someone who brings peace.  The above work by Paola
looks like a stained glass window.

Paola Delfin.  "Black Pacifier."  Mexico
The companion piece is of a Black woman.

Mutavision.  "The Hexagonal Wall."  Miami
The wall certainly looks like it undulates, but as a matter of fact, it is perfectly flat
but has been painted to look 3D.  The pattern goes back to ancient Rome and mosaics.

Nychos.  "Strike Eagle"  Graz, Austria
Nychos grew up in a family of hunters; his father and grandfather were both avid
huntsmen who brought home slain deer, to be cut up for food.  Young Nychos grew up
seeing skeletons  and handling them, and he often paints skeletons or the raw flesh
of creatures.  He also paints rather terrifying huge images of raptor birds.

"Aztec Head."  I can't read the artist's stylized signature.  Notice the "shadow"
painted on the sidewalk.

Juan Travieso  "Two Tigers."  Havana / New York / Miami
Juan is from Cuba, but today works from studios in New York and Miami.   He has just
received an M.F.A. from the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston.  His works often
are based on themes of impermanence and decay.

RETNA.  "Wynwood Arts Complex."  Los Angeles
The mural is seven stories high, covered with the unique calligraphy of RETNA. 
RETNA (born Marquis Lewis in Los Angeles) is a contemporary artist recognized
for graffiti art.  He developed a distinctive constructed script which is derived from
Blackletter, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Arabic, and Hebrew calligraphy, as well as more
traditional types of street graffiti.

The London Police.  "An Automotive Parts Store."  English / Amsterdam
The London Police are two atists from London, who live in Amsterdam.  The bubble-like
figures are typical of their work and the cheesy female figure is typical of automotive
calendars and repair shops.

d.Face.  "Is the Answer Love?"  London, England
d.Face (Dean Stockton) is a British graffiti artist who was greatly influenced by
New York Pop Art of the 70s and 80s, especially Lichtenstein and Warhol.  He often
paints huge comic strip-like images.

Faith 47.  "Lionesses Attacking Deer."  South Africa
Faith is from South Africa and has painted several murals in Wynwood.  Her husband
is the street artist DAL East.

Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky.  "Free Lolita." Canada / Chile
Shalak is a woman and Smoky is her husband; they currently live in Toronto.
The mural advocates freedom for the Orca whale kept in captivity in Sea World.
The mural is 83 feet long and 16 feet high, an enormous work.

Celso Gonzales.  "Skull Tondo."  Cuba
This is a special work by one of the most esteemed Cuban street artists.  Although
it looks at this distance as if it were spray painted like the other murals,
it is not.    Also, what appears to be cavities in the skull are not.

Celso Gonzales.  "Skull Tondo."  Cuba
When you come close to the work, you see that it is actually a mosaic made up of
hundreds of pieces of tile, some of them gilded gold or silver.  And instead of dark holes,
you see that there are actually pictures of a man and a woman.

Shepard Fairey.  "Fruits of Our Labor."  Los Angeles
Shepard is one of the leading street artists of Los Angeles.  This is a huge mural on the
offices of Mana Industries, whose owner owns most of the property in Wynwood.
He would like to build high rise condos in the area where people would also
enjoy the ambiance of the artistic community and murals.

Shepard Fairey and Cleon Peterson.  "Power . . . Glory."  Los Angeles
The two artists are the leading street artists of Los Angeles.  This mural occupies the
South wall of a small office building.  All four walls are painted with murals
involving the black silhouettes.

Mac Stewart.  "Three Masks."  Atlanta, Georgia
Mac Stewart is a 21 year old self-taught artist from Atlanta, Georgia.  He has
already had an exhibition at the High Museum in Atlanta. as well as other
major museums in other cities.  He is the youngest street artist in Wynwood.

Evoca1.  "Man and Wolves."  Dominian Republic
Evoca1 (Elio Mercado) is a 29 year old figurative painter, street artist, designer and
activist trying to merge art and humanity.  He lives now in Hollywood, Florida.

Evoca1.  "Falcon, Man, and Tiger."  Dominican Republic
He often portrays animals and potential violence.

Interesni Kazki.  "The Green House."  Kiev, Ukraine
"Interesni Kazki" means "fairy-tales," and Aleksei and Vladimir use the nickname
because it describes their style.  They have brought graffiti art to East Europe and
have been creating murals in Russia and Ukraine for ten years.  This is Wynwood House,
headquarters for the offices of Goldman Properties, which owns much of the land in
Wynwood.  They painted the entire building green and then created a series of
whimsical figures and plants.  This is the North Wall with Morning Glory and cockroach.

Interesni Kazki.  "The Green House."  Ukrainian
The is the East Wall with calla lilies and exotic flowers with feet.

AVAF or Nomad.  "The Lightbox Store."   Brazil and France
This highly dramatic abstract mural was created by the duo of Eli Sudbrack from Sao Paulo
and Christophe Hamaide-Pierson from Paris.  They began working togther in 2005 and
today have studios in New York and Paris.  They do graphic design and advertising
as well as public murals.

Findac and Kevin Ledo.  "Sun Goddesses."   Irish and Portuguese / Canadian
Finbarr Dac / Findac is from Cork, Ireland, and Kevin was born in Canada of
Portuguese parents.  They work in London and Paris.  Kevin often paints figures
using gold foil halos, and in this joint work, they both used foil.  It is a very
large mural.

Odobo.  "Art Basel 2016 - Geisha Girl."  Miami / England
Paul Kettlewell is a graduate of the U. of Derby in England and has come to Miami,
where he is involved in a number of artistic endeavors and companies.  He uses various
names in each of the companies and often works with crews / aides.
Some other names are: Mutavision, Gods and Goodfellas, and Weerdo.

Odobo Studio.  "Love During War."  Miami
Odobo / Paul Kettlewell created seven murals along a very long wall on N. Miami Ave.
There were two geisha girls, this large work, and several others.

Abstrk.  "Sherlock Holmes."  Miami

AVAF.  Fabien Castanier Gallery / Goldman Properties Bldg.  Brazil & France
Wynwood is now home to dozens of art galleries, most in old buildings.  But some new
construction has begun, and Fabien Castanier is one of the larger galleries.  AVAF (Eli
Sudbrack of Brazil and Christophe Hamaiade-Pierson of France) aim at vibrant and
disorienting images which they call "vivid astro focus," a reflection of the daily
sensory overload we all experience.

Diplo Carnage.  "Mickey and Guernica" and "Purple Dragon."  Miami
"Diplo Carnage" consist of a number of artists who do advertising and graphic design.
On the left is a parody of Picasso's "Guernica" with Mickey Mouse, and on the right is
a variant of "Puff, the Magic Dragon."

Metrowrapz.  "Major Key."  Hollywood, Florida
Metrowrapz is a group of artists in Hollywood, Florida, who do graphic installations
and advertising.  This beautiful mural is a gate to a parking lot.

Alexis Diaz.  "Crow and Two Skulls."  Puerto Rico
This is one of several murals Alexis has in Wynwood.

James Jirat Patradoon.  "Skull."  Sydney, Australia
The fraternity of street artists encircles the globe.  James Jirat is an Australian of Thai
descent.  He is described as a cyberpunk, and designs digital art, tee shirts, cd covers,
posters for concerts, and lots of "Gothic-like" objects which he sells.

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