URBAN NATION @ Lollapalooza 2017
- COLLABORATION
- COLLABORATION 2017
- September 10, 2017
It was a unique fusion of music and art: in a joint project by the URBAN NATION MUSEUM FOR URBAN CONTEMPORARY ART and the Lollapalooza Festival, 14 artists were designing a walk-in Art Cube at the festival. This enormous art installation presented works by, among others, Herakut, Mimi S, Alessio-B and Snik. Artists and the executive creative director of URBAN NATION, Yasha Young, were there in person on 9 and 10 September.
This year saw the world-famous Lollapalooza Festival take place in Berlin for the third time. An estimated 170,000 visitors were expected at the Hoppegarten horse-race track, which is set to become a melting pot of top-notch music, lifestyle and art on 9 and 10 September. URBAN NATION was also taking part for the third time. Once again, Yasha Young, executive creative director of URBAN NATION, and Fruszina Szep, festival director, start another extraordinary project: 14 internationally renowned artists were designing and painting a seven-meter-high Art Cube on the festival grounds. This giant installation was serving as the meeting point where music, art and lifestyle blend together.
“The design of the Art Cube was inspired this year by the URBAN NATION MUSEUM FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, which officially opens on 16 September in Berlin. We are really looking forward to it and we want to share our enthusiasm with all the festival visitors!” explained Yasha Young, the executive creative director of the museum. Visitors could experience the Art Cube as a walk-in construction adorned with paintings and other artworks, which will give first impressions of the art and architecture of the new museum.
“Collaborations like this harbor huge amounts of creative energy and are also part and parcel of the museum, which consciously combines different artistic genres. By blending music and art, we are creating new artistic possibilities and unusual spaces for all festival visitors to explore”, added Young.
The URBAN NATION Art Cube 2017 was painted by:
- Snik: The British artist duo uses stencils and spray cans to create artworks that reproduce dynamic movements down to the last detail.
- Fanakapan: The career of the London based street artist began with stencils, which he painted himself in the streets of the English capital. Today, he is known for his hyper-realistic works using helium balloons.
- TAPE OVER: The international group of artists was formed within Berlin’s electro-scene. They use tape to make organic creatures, abstract shapes and visual statements.
- Millo: The artist, who is also known as Francesco Camillo Giorgino, addresses space and form in his murals, which are usually monochromatic.
- Sebastian Wandl: His works often portray women, animals and mystic creatures, which he stages in a photo-realistic manner.
- Nuno: The Portuguese graffiti artist, also known as Mertis, draws his inspiration mostly from the hip-hop subculture. He was the founder of the artists’ collective Policroma Crew.
- Hueman: Spontaneous squirts of paint and punts in context with pictorial and abstract elements – this is how the American artist starts her famous murals.
- Alessio-B: Born in Padua, the Italian artist studied architecture in Venice. Meanwhile, he is famous for stencils capturing unique individual moments to do with topics such as love and peace.
- Adele: Whether on small canvasses or huge facades: her works are characterized by realistic portraits of pigeons and human beings. Along with Niels Shoe Meulman, she runs the Unruly Gallery in Amsterdam.
- Uriginal: The Barcelona based artist is known for combining historical paintings with popular symbolism. The use of fluorescent colors and geometric forms are characteristic of his works.
- Herakut: The German artist duo creates striking phantasy worlds in which various characters cross paths. In their work, they address issues such as social fissures and collective restrictions.
- DALeast: The murals of the Chinese artist often depict epic animal motifs. He began exhibiting art in public spaces in 2004.
- Mimi S: The Berlin artist produces pencil and ink illustrations to which she subsequently adds color by digital means. Her large-scale works comment on female clichés.
- Lous Masai: Many of his works portray endangered species, such as Rothschild’s giraffes or bees. The artist hopes to draw attention to people and animals who have been neglected by society.
photos by Nika Kramer