Client: CityCentre
Location: Houston, TX, United States
Completion date: 2022
Project Team
Artist
Kill Joy
Curatorial and Project Manager
Lea Weingarten
Weingarten Art Group
Overview
Kill Joy (local Houston street artist with an international following) designed this mural for a high-traffic space in a very popular Houston destination around the theme of honoring the earth, promoting environmental care and with a nod toward social justice.
With its bold block-printed outlines and rich colors, the mural leans into conversations of art history and environmental awareness. Two figures, protected by a glen of vibrant blooms tenderly contribute to the world before them. The viewer is struck by the ability of the artist to create an incredible richness of texture and form in a two-dimensional medium.
Elements of the artist’s heritage (of Philippine descent, growing up in south Texas) are strongly visibly present in her work. Obvious in her practice is a history of storytelling and interpretations of world mythology and ancient symbols – both of which are magically relevant today.
Goals
The goals of this semi-annual rotating program are twofold: First, to expose the audiences of this popular Houston destination who are not necessarily frequent museum visitors to the riches of regional Texas artists and, second, to further the ongoing significant support of our client to the advancement of the arts in Houston.
In furtherance of these goals, curatorial decisions are made to maximize the experience of and to enlighten the audiences experiencing these dynamic projects.
Process
Curated and managed by Weingarten Art Group, local and regional artists are invited to share both new concepts and existing work to animate the four large-scale lobby areas of this popular Houston destination.
Each artist submits proposals after experiencing the site and selections are made with the aim of providing textured and varied holistic art experiences over the course of each year. Kill Joy proposed imagery from her current practice that would specifically animate this high-traffic space in the development. She has said that she will go on to develop a set of prints based upon this imagery.