Art & Protest – Pre & Post COVID (Alexis Rongo)

Art & Protest – Pre & Post COVID

Alexis Rongo

Murals are a huge part of the art and protest scene, specifically popping up in times of great hardship or controversy. However, this is not always the case, which will be explained.

First off, it is important to understand why murals are created in the first place and see the many reasons behind them. Many artists create murals, either for personal or political and social reasons, or to highlight specific societal issues, such as human rights,  surrounding BLM, ICE, or issues within a specific community. Some artists create these works, specifically for showcasing a skill, or to even advertise a specific product, store, or service. Another large reason is also to memorialize a place, or person. So, has COVID affected these decisions when it comes to murals, or has it relatively stayed the same?

Now, moving onto definitions; “street art” can be classified as any piece or body of work that is found alongside buildings, brick walls, stairs, and many other obscure places across urban areas and large cities. Over time, this form of art has created its own type of style all by itself. Artists grow and evolve with whatever is happening in their current world, just like painters would. A lot of the times, street art is also mentioned as “graffiti.” Murals, on the other hand, are technically a lot different than street art, although it is still a form of it in some way. In general, murals tend to be much more large-scale than traditional graffiti. They also don’t have that very specific style you see, as they tend to be more like regular paintings or abstract works. Some examples pre-COVID, as shown below:

 

James Daniel Burns, 13th St. in the Gayborhood - 2016

This mural is evidentially placed on the side of a large building on a busy street. The artwork is colorful, as well as earthy, with the colors merging beautifully together to work in harmony. The pattern created is stunning as well.

Andrew Jeffrey Wright – Spring Arts Mural District - 2016

This mural is slightly unique, showing up on a set of stairs, rather than the side of a building or brick wall. The artist intended for this piece to spark joy in peoples’ lives as they walked along it. This mural goes to show that there are no rules when it comes to street art.

Gena Milanesi – Kobe and Gianna Mural on Menotti’s Coffee Stop– Venice, CA – Feb. 2020

This piece of work has quite a heart-wrenching meaning behind it: the people depicted are Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. The pair lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident back in January of 2020, along with several other people. Bryant was a famous NBA player, known for his time with the Los Angeles, Lakers. This memorialization quickly became very well-known as one of the first Kobe murals to pop up in the Los Angeles area.

Frank Rizzo Mural – 2020. Recently painted over, June 2020

Frank Rizzo was infamous for his mistreatment of the African American community in Philly, during his time as a police officer. This mural of him had been up for decades when the city finally decided to cover it. This act instantly made a lot of citizens feel better about the space, but the city still has a lot of work to do when it comes to police brutality and violence.

Drink More Tap mural – May 2020 - Philadelphia

The mural depicted here is part of an on-going project in Philadelphia right now. The Philly H20 organization is responsible for this movement. This mural is one of many, and is located on the side of the Primrose Recreation Center. The message is simply to encourage people to drink more tap water, versus bottled.

"Vote” Mural, displays Biden/Harris - Oct. 2020 - South Philadelphia

This mural resides on a garage door in South Philly, campaigning for Biden and Harris in the 2020 Election, now President and Vice-President Elects! This mural was heavily inspired by Robert Indiana’s “Love” sculpture, in 1970 Philly.

Quick overview of some international murals as well:

Dmitri Vrubel, My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love, Berlin Wall, Germany

Vhils, Factory Worker, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

So, with the examples shown above, it is time to go over some major differences and commonalities between murals in Pre- and Post-COVD. The biggest similarity here is simply the fact that street artists continue to paint as social issues change and evolve, as well as to create just for the fun of it. Many murals that I saw Pre-Covid, including Andrew Jeffrey Wright’s, were created simply to spark some joy in residents’ lives when they saw it. The odd location of stairs is sure to elicit some smiles as residents walk along them. It’s almost impossible to be upset when looking at bright, fun colors! Artists also continue to paint in obscure/random places, or wherever they can find a location. Most tend to be large scale murals on a flat wall, or hidden away somewhere, kind of like the “Vote” mural, painted on a garage door. The largest difference, is, of course, the content of the art, as it evolves and grows with current social and political issues in our country, as well as memorials. For example: Kobe’s death, along with his 13-year-old daughter, and 7 other people, shook our nation to its core. Fans, friends, and of course, family of the victims, were struck with grief. As a result of the tragic helicopter crash, thousands of murals began to pop up in the Los Angeles area, only days after the accident, and continue to remain up, 9 months later. Now, with the 2020 election creeping up, we now have a mural in Philly, promoting the Biden/Harris campaign. We also have the covering up of the Frank Rizzo mural in Philly. This mural had been up for 25 years. Rizzo was an American police officer, known for his mistreatment of the Black American community in Philadelphia. Now, with it being painted over, the Mural Arts District attempts to rectify painful memories and wrong-doings involving police brutality and social issues within the community.

1. Questions that I have, personally, include: First, are the differences and similarities more obvious than we think, or do they run deeper?     

2. Secondly, did COVID even have any affect at all, or has it stayed the same?

3. Are people more inclined now to go out and actually experience these murals in person?

4. Lastly, how has the 2020 Election affected things? Has the mural scene specifically been affected by the social political changes? These are all valid questions, as we explore more into this topic.

Sources

• https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/10-of-the-most-famous-urban-art-murals/

• https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/defining-street-art

• https://www.kobemural.com/

• https://www.muralarts.org/blog/phillys-15-favorite-murals-2016/?gclid=CjwKCAiA4o79BRBvEiwAjteoYBBEKCEV7WkkqP2zIyjqR56CxZDGEVltDcNXudNvMl5h-0X0SfV_TxoCcawQAvD_BwE