amjamin

A mural painted by Mexican artist Irving Cano Walls – they create barriers, could be seen as divisive, may draw a line between two extremes. For some, they are a blank canvas waiting to be splashed with vivid imagination and colours. These expressions are oft wild, rebellious, and a work of a free spirit – perhaps an oxymoron to the cold, restrictive space in brick and mortar. These expressions seek to unify the diverse and divided world. From Thailand to Turkey to Norway, closer to home in San Juan, New York, street art is transforming the mundane into the wild. “Street art is nothing else but urban poetry that catches someone’s eye,” says Christian Guémy (C215), French street artist. “Being a street artist is impossible because the city itself is the artist. Street art is a collective thing, participative and interactive, extremely linked to web 2.0 culture.” Irving Cano, growing up in Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, gravitated to street art when he was 16. “There was a graff...

We passed the hues of the last sunset of 2013 and its colours transcended to first dawn of 2014.  Arts & Education  continues on the path of artistic stimulation, constant discoveries and a creative journey. We would like to take this opportunity to showcase the editor's picks for the year, and to thank our readers for their continued support. Wish you all a blessed 2014. ❏ Intarsia - Painting with wood The atmosphere under the crisp Caribbean sunshine at Barbados Crop Over craft market was reminiscent of fun and frolic. Tucked away from the excitement, Mario Smith displayed the intarsia art he creates. Necessity is the mother of all invention, it is said, and Smith, who worked as a joiner - making doors, windows, and kitchen cupboards - had to stay home after his son was born. ❏ Art of Sushi - The edible Zen garden It's as austere as its land of origin, yet complex and intriguing, pressed, meticulously laid out, rolled and neatl...

The facade of Waterlane Gallery, downtown Kingston. On a hot, sunny afternoon, Kimani Beckford dipped a brush in a can of paint and with meticulous, subtle strokes streaked it across a wall. An artist he is, transforming the mundane of brick and concrete into a story board. Kimani Beckford paints a mural “This is a story being told,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow, “from the future going to the past.” As a part of project for Ardenne Prep School in St Andrew, Beckford, through his painting, is showcasing the transition of time. “Murals change the feelings about where you are, they allow people to dream and to take them to a different space,” says Rosemarie Chung, painter and owner of Studio 174 in downtown Kingston. Chung, whose studio has been commissioned to paint murals on different locations across Kingston, explains that murals are “a strong response to the society’s issues and communicate to the people”. This resonates in a mural with a giant heart and ...