Miami’s street art is probably the most amazing in the entire United States. The city is bursting with stunning art installations, graffiti, and, obviously, murals. The everchanging façades of the city fascinate any visitor with their massive and colorful paintings, most of them carrying strong meaningful messages. One of the top areas for street art in Miami is with no doubt Wynwood. This Greater Miami neighborhood located North of Downtown Miami and west of Miami Beach was once a collection of warehouses. During the 2000s, it was transformed into a unique outdoor art museum by the greatest street artists in the world. There, large-scale murals span multiple blocks and feature a variety of street art styles and artists representing over 16 countries. Most artworks are concentrated along NW 2nd Avenue between 23rd and 28th Streets. Here we have included 3 murals in Wynwood that you need to see before they get painted over!
1. “American Power” by Tristan Eaton
Designed and painted by artist Tristan Eaton, this mural depicts American women of different ethnicities combined with comics and motifs against the colors of the US flag. The scene is dominated by six clear female faces, but looking closer it is possible to spot other smaller women’s profiles in the background. The mural pays tribute to all women who are fighting against the abuse of men in power, showing respect to all ladies. The mural was created in occasion of Art Basel 2017, which that year was focused on the theme “humanKIND.” Tristan Eaton is a L.A. artist famous for its pop-style art who has contributed to the beauty of Wynwood with several artworks. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in New York, Tristan began his carreer in Fisher Price, where he was a toy designer. Today, he is best known for his huge public murals that can be found throughout the world from New York to Paris to Shanghai.
2. “A Love Supreme (Wynwood Saints)” by El Mac
Commissioned by The Related Group to artist El Mac in 2019, “A Love Supreme” is still one of the largest and most visible murals in Wynwood. This permanent public artwork is locaged on the Wynwood 25 building, right next to Wynwood Walls and the Museum of Graffiti. Through this mural, the artist aimed at paiting somehting representative of Wynwood and its people, conveying messages of strength, dignity, balance, solidarity, and love. “A love supreme” portraits three figures with different etnicities against a light background. To paint the people, the artist was inspired by local young folks. The figure to the left was modeled by a young woman named Mandolina who works in a local community garden. The middle figure was modeled by a young ballet dancer named Jamaii, while the figure on the right was modeled by a Seminole boy named Kyle. Although the paintings resemble these three real subjects, they have also been modified to be more inclusive and represent many other young people as well. The three subjects portray everyday saints, representing upliftment, beauty, and kindness. El Mac (complete name Miles MacGregor) is a worldwide famous artist born in Los Angeles. He began painting public murals and graffiti in Phoenix in the mid 1990s, taking inspiration from classical European art, social realism, symbolism, devotional art, and from the Chicano and Mexican culture. Throughout his carreer, he has become famous for his large-scale murals honoring feminine beauty and marginalized people. He has painted for several museums, art institutions, and universities all around the world, including Belgium, the US, Australia, Italy, Cambodia, Cuba, Denmark, England, Puerto Rico, South Korea and many more.
3. “Free Loita” by Clandestinos
“Free Lolita” is a large-scale mural curated by Up Art Studio that was painted back in 2015 by artists Elisa Monreal (art name Shalak Attack) and Bruno Revitte (art name Smoke), a collaborative duo also known as Clandestinos. The gigantic “Free Lolita” mural is a tribute to Lolita, a killer whale hosted at the Miami Seaquarium. Back in 2015, Lolita captured the attention of several activists due to the inadequate conditions of living she was forced into. The mural depicts the orca surrounded by fishes, boats and nature reminding of her native habitat. But in her stomach, the artists have painted three people sitting around a fire and imprisoned between Lolita’s ribs. The mural is part of Art Week Miami 2015’s “Big Walls, Big Dreams,” a collection of walls painted by 15 artists from around the world. “Free Lolita” was painted on the wall of the building owned by the mayor of Miami Beach, Philip Levin, who supported Lolita’s release from Miami Seaquarium. Shalak Attack, Canadian born with Chilean root, and Brazilian artist Smoke are also life partners. Their artworks are inspired by their Latin American backgrounds, and mostly feature colorful narrative with symbols, indigenus characters, portraits, tropical landscapes, and other natural elements. They mostly work in forgotten areas and blend together their different approaches into a perfectly balanced art-style which depicts real and imaginary worlds. In most of their work, they raise awareness on important issues such as consumerism power, social injustices, and environmental issues.
