In town for the Art(Re)Public event in Jacksonville, Florida, Guido van Helten covered two giant silos with the images of a young man and woman he met during his stay in the city.
According to Guido van Helten, the motivation for the content of this work came through a search for subjects and a representation of the real soul of the city in the Downtown of Jacksonville. During the process, he was to meet Connell, a passionate activist and member of the Deaf speaking community and Sara a Palestinian American as they where speaking passionately at a movement in downtown Jacksonville. A movement that stands for tolerance, diversity and respect, and who agreed to model for him, not only as themselves, but also as representatives of unity. Their eyes are fixed on the ground, united by the same vision at a time of increasing divide.
When explaining the work, Guido van Helten also quotes Connell when he says that “[I]ts a signal of solidarity. Unity between all classes whether you are white, black, Hispanic, gay ,straight, transgender, I believe this represents an ongoing struggle in the fight for justice.” I love the message, do you?
All images courtesy of curator and street photographer Iryna Kanishcheva
Guido van Helten
Part visual artist, part anthropologist, Guido Van Helten, 29, is an Australian contemporary artist dedicated to paint large-scale, site-specific mural works. His subjects are watercoloured and sepia toned, like old photographs that speak of the history and stories of the places he visits.
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