MARTA Artbound, and Ever Siempre (Nicolas Romero Escalada) this fall. The East Lake project project began with an open call for submissions and Ever was chosen from a pool of 90+ amazing applicants, by Living Walls, MARTA Artbound, and a panel of 4 curators and art administrators in Atlanta. Ever was chosen because of his unique community engagement processes.
He begins his pieces like anthropological investigations of social life and uses symbols that represent economic, social, and cultural factors. For the East Lake Station, he created two still life murals that generate points of connection. Ever says, "We are living in an era where objects kind of represent us."
The community engagement was the best part of this process and it was wonderful to see this mural come to life! Nico stayed with a family right across from the station during his time here. He met neighbors, talked to local businesses, and listened to people at community meetings. His research and time here directly inspired the design for the mural. He collaborated with the residents of the East Lake neighborhood to feature objects that represent the community.
KASHINK is one of the few international women artists that are very active in urban art, she lives in Paris. Her work is questioning aesthetic codes, the definition of identity. Whether in celebration of diversity or as a confrontation to social norms, KASHINK considers herself an activist. Since 2013, she’s been wearing a pencil-on mustache as her daily makeup. She considers it statement as well as a sociological experiment, creating random conversations with strangers about beauty, gender, norms, and freedom. The mural features a character painted in Kashink’s recognizable style, a mask-like face surrounded by flowing black hair. Kashink says her paintings are a form of self-portraiture, but she invites viewers to offer their own perspectives.
