#Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs

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Curated Storefront is an Akron arts organization started in 2016 that is working to turn downtown Akron into an arts destination. Their projects include a collection of public murals and art in store windows. They also offer studio spaces to local artists.

One of their projects, Outside the Box, is a series of up-cycled shipping containers that house pop-up galleries and rotating murals.

Below are more selections from Outside the Box and information on the works from their website.

El Mac, “Stardust”

From the information plaque-

This mural titled Stardust depicts El Mac’s son as a baby looking up towards the sky, which creates imagery that the artist hopes “can be relatable to people and hopefully it suggests youthfulness and new beginnings. I had fun with the rendering , patterns, movement, and shapes. It was challenging for me and I think it’s beautiful, so I hope others do too.”

Palehorse, “Garuda”

About Palehorse’s mural from Curated Storefront–

Painting of the deity Garuda from Hindu mythology. Garuda (King of Birds) symbolizes the harmonious union of earthly strength and celestial freedom. As the divine messenger, he traverses between realms, embodying the bridge between humanity and the sacred. His outstretched wings form a shield of protection, a testament to his role as guardian and defender against adversity. Garuda’s presence inspires us to embrace our inner courage and navigate life’s challenges with unwavering determination. Just as he faces the serpents of life, we too can rise above obstacles, guided by his example. As you gaze upon this mural, may Garuda’s symbolism ignite your spirit, reminding you of your own capacity to soar to new heights, find peace amidst chaos, and stand strong in the face of all trials. Jai Guru! OM Garuda!

With over 20 years of experience as a professional illustrator, the catalogue of work created by Palehorse now serves as a breadcrumb trail, highlighting his intense curiosity and a relentless quest for deeper meaning and self-discovery. Years of seeking and following delightful and mysterious curiosities, eventually led to a devoted spiritual practice, arising from an ever-expanding love for sacred art, mystical scriptures, ancient cultures, plant medicine ceremonies, world mythology and travel.

The artwork of Palehorse aims to become more refined and meaningful as he increasingly becomes more spiritually adventurous through the years. His aesthetic harnesses the ancient power of traditional Thai ornamental design, blended with Indian motifs and symbols derived from the Thangka paintings of Tibetan Buddhism. As a follower of Paramhansa Hogananda, these inspirations are then filtered through the lens of an American yogi/psychonaut/illustrator, who was born in the late 70’s and grew up skateboarding, surfing, getting tattooed and playing guitar in metal bands.

John Comunale “The First Energy Monster”, Recycled tires and golfballs

John Comunale, whose work is pictured above, is an Akron artist with many works located around the city.

Studio Haz – Joshua Hall and Diana Paz- “This and That”

About the Studio Haz mural from Curated Storefront-

This mural is a visual dialog, a conversation between order and fluid organic forms. It is the first collaboration between the two artists.

Diana Paz is a Venezuelan Multidisciplinary artist based in Miami, FL. She has been fully dedicated to her art since 2012, right after graduating from her graphic design studies. Navigating between artistic expressions, she explores materials, shapes, spaces, textures and colors; reinterpreting elements from her native region as well as others taken from her everyday life. The result is a balanced union of elements; coming all-together in the cleanest and simplest way.

Joshua Hall, AKA Baghead, (born January 5, 1988) is a contemporary Latin- American artist from Miami, Florida. His work is derived from 90’s skateboarding, street typography, and early animation. He is known for his wooden sculptures as well as being a muralist. In his practice, Joshua reflects on his suburban adolescents; recounting them in fluid, abstracted and sometimes sculptural forms.

Steiner, “Repetitive Nature”

About Steiner and Repetitive Nature–

The bright and psychedelic colors and mutation of the third eye on the leopards represent human negative effects on nature. However, nature is ferocious (like a leopard) and fights back, reclaiming what is left behind by humans in a cycle that is repetitive. Nature finds a way.

Raised on surf/skate art and comics, and influenced by the likes of Jim Phillips and Todd McFarlane, Steiner began spray painting walls during middle school in the 90s. After traveling abroad and formal art training he returned to his street art and graffiti roots. He has lived and painted in San Francisco and New York, and now resides in Los Angeles. His work is reminiscent of the Toxic Avenger. It shows man’s effect on nature and manipulation of the environment. His work often has mutated beasts with multiple eyes, bright un-earthy colors and smoke ring cloud (pollution) backgrounds … so the 3 eyed Simpsons fish is a good reference to sum it up … an actual issue with a somewhat humorous delivery.

Axel Void (Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs), “Untitled”

L.E.O. (Reginald O’Neal), “Dr. John Henry Clarke And the Mundari People”

About L.E.O. (Reginald O’ Neal)–

L.E.O. (Reginald O’Neal), born in 1992 in Miami, Florida, began painting in 2012 and soon met his friend and mentor, Alejandro Dorda, also known as Axel Void, who would teach him classically.

In 2014, L.E.O. took his first trip to Europe to complete murals in Austria, Norway, and Spain, as well as exhibit in a collective show alongside his teacher in Berlin, Germany. In the years since, Reggie has focused on canvas work, residencies, and murals that embody his community surroundings, experiences and beliefs.

Gabriela Ayza Aschmann, “Momentum Absence Act”

From Curated Storefront about the Gabriela Ayza Aschmann’s mural-

It has two faces. What we see and what may be behind. Is it the absence of oneself that creates emotional instability? Sometimes we are in a sea of fire and we have to warp to hold on to ourselves so we can be our own lifesaver. With the vertigo of falling, you create a dance that in the end only you can learn to enjoy. Emily Dickinson wrote, “I was falling and in each crash hit, I ran into a world.”

Born in 1991 Cologne, Germany, Gabriela Ayza Aschmann is a Spanish-German artist currently based in Miami, Florida. She lived and studied in Andalusia, graduated from the University of Fine Arts in Seville, Spain. She continued learning with workshops and follow ups from different artists. In 2020, Gabriela attended her first artist residency with Void_ Projects in Miami, FL. Later, she followed her next artist residency at Gotulist Froyar, Feror Island, Denmark. Her last two shows titled I have an idiot inside me and Mom, let me be an animal for one day opened in Miami, FL where she presented a mixture of her personal collection of paintings.

Her practice represents the search for the poetic. She begins with considering that listening to ourselves and our environment brings us closer to the core of our existence. In her paintings one can find humor, sweetness and hardness at the same time. The artist observes and empathizes how humans are, measurably, beasts and brutes. Bluntly, she questions why humanity hides its beastiality: What is so dangerous about our depths? Her work is focused on oil painting, although in her process we can find poetry, theater, analog photography and other sculptural aspects.

Johnny Robles, “Gloria Bow”

About Johnny Robles and the mural from Curated Storefront–

Johnny Robles is a multi-disciplinary artist working at the intersection of art, technology, and nature. Studies in color theory, geometry, and science, combined with his natural and spiritual world interests are central to his work.

The artwork’s title, Gloria Bow, is derived from a glory rainbow, a halo of interlocking colors made up of tiny droplets of water reflecting sunlight scattered back towards the viewer. This phenomenon we see in nature can be experienced from tall buildings, a mountain top, or an airplane. Over the years, the artist’s experiences of observing glories have marveled and served him as reminders that nature seeks each of us. This painting intends to engage passersby in a moment of solitude, clarity, or stillness.

[streetartusa]

We Are All Immigrants

We Are All Immigrants

In May, over two dozen mural projects took place in South Central, Los Angeles transforming the campus of the Maya Angelou Community High School into an artistic hub. Organized by Branded Arts, an LA-based company that brings public art to community-based settings, local and international artists such as Shepard Fairey, Faith XLVII, and Add Fuel are just a few that participated in the project.…

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"WE ARE ALL IMMIGRANTS"

by Axel Void

Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs, aka Axel Void, was born in Miami to a Haitian mother and Spanish father, and grew up in Spain eventually returning to Miami in his mid-20s. A few days before he was scheduled to participate in the @BrandedArts curated Maya Angelou Mural Festival in May, 2019, he took a walk through the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood surrounding the E 53rd St @Dr.MayaAngelouHS. Void began chatting with a Mexican American family cooking in their front yard and was soon invited to share their meal and conversation. Void's picture of 4-year-old Nico jumping into frame in the sunshine in front of the family captured the simplicity of every day life and the underlying truth that when we spend time getting to know people our differences "only serve as a strong link for interaction and conversation."  @axelvoid/

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Free, Home (2nd Avenue)

I’ve seen a bit of public murals, but nothing this exceptional. Walking down 2nd Avenue the other month to check out the blue-chip art in the new 2nd Avenue subway line, about which I have mixed feelings, I stumbled first upon the one image and  then the other out on the street.

The first is Libre by Viajero, and was installed in 2015 as part of the East Harlem Monument Art Project, about which you can read here. An artist’s statement is here  and there’s more here by Viajero and more here and this interview here. Libre is at 2nd Avenue and E.113th Street.

The second image is Home by Axel Void (Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs). It was installed in 2013 as part of the Los Murals Hablan Project, about which you can read here.  Void’s homepage is here.

I’m going to post more images from both projects all together, but I wanted to devote some special to these two. Viewed together, the two images touch upon the experience of dislocation and the idea of home.

  http://ift.tt/2qAsjei

[streetartusa]

A Mini Mural By Axel Void On Family Unity in Havana

A Mini Mural By Axel Void On Family Unity in Havana

Last month, Haitian-American-Spanish street artist Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs Aka Axel Void completed a small-scale mural in Havana, Cuba. In a press release for the project, the artist explains, “this image is based on a still from a short film I am working on. The film is based on a family living in the neighborhood of San Isidro, in Habana, Cuba. The area is a poor but a very lively place,…

[streetartusa]

Axel Void "Leven" in Ostend, Belgium

Axel Void “Leven” in Ostend, Belgium

Do you have an artist whose work you never get tired of? I do, and his name is Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs aka Axel Void. This time in Ostend, Belgium for the second edition of the always amazing The Crystal Ship street art festival, Axel Void  created “Leven” (Life), a haunting mural featuring the image of to women embracing each other.

About The Mural

As usual, Axel spend some time meeting the…