Life is Beautiful Urban Art Festival, Downtown Las Vegas 2017

Artists invited for this edition included Faile, Okuda, Felipe Pantone, Kevin Lyons, Broken Fingaz, Mau Lencinas, Morag Myerscough, This is my b world, Luzinterruptus, Fafi, Bicicleta Sem Freio and Zest. Adding to the already extensive list of world renowned artists that have contributed in the past editions of the festival.

Okuda brought his geometric surrealism, completing an amazing and exclusive large scale colourful mural titled “Rest of the three Graces”.

He also brought an immense bear sculpture titled: “Smiling King Bear” to sit in front of the mural. The multicolour Bear is a humungous sixteen feet tall and two thousand pounds in weight! and had to reach the festival by a six week journey via ship.

Felipe Pantone turned things up a notch as he upgraded his sculptural mural from Life Is Beautiful 2016 with a 100% solar powered neon light public artwork. The bright idea of this renovation was possible by the union with Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) and Bombard Renewable Energy.

Argentinian artist and digital illustrator; Mau Lencinas, debuted with three murals on a new residential development project on Fremont Street executed by artist Melissa Xiloj.

New York street art legend Faile, created a massive mural depicting a dog playing poker that sprawls 21 floors of the iconic Plaza Hotel North tower. Highly influenced by the American pop culture, this mural echoes the poker playing dogs that have capture the imaginary of generations and bar owners around the US.

Prolific artist and creative director; Kevin Lyons, also brought his furry creatures to brighten the facade of Downtown Las Vegas. Besides the mural, Lyons also added four woodcuts characters to accompany the piece, adding a vibrant playful extension of his mural.

British designer Morag Myerscough brought her bold neon color installation work in perfect balance with the Nevada desert sunset and mysterious night entitled: “Surrender to its Warm Embrace”.

Broken Fingaz crew arrived in Vegas and took over a ninety degrees corner of a Fremont building with their fluorescent graphics and subversive characters.

Across Fremont street and over at Ogden and 6th, Brazilian duo Bicicleta Sem Freio also revamped the downtown landscape with two new murals in the city footprint. Their first mural had a musical theme.

Their other mural is located on the Cortez Hotel and depicts the fauna and peculiarity’s of the Nevada habitat on a vertical wall.

Fafi, came back to Vegas and retook the Emergency Arts building on Fremont with a fresh Fafinette coming straight from her soon to be released second comic book. This provocative and strong female character is the trademark of the artist.

Thisismybworld hit the downtown streets for the first time. His work points to mass consumption issues and how it has become not only an economical or spatial problem, but a psychological one.

Zest completed a mural on the back of the Downtown Art Motel. This seasoned graffiti veteran gives us a inventive mural with warm colors in a pure abstract style.

 

 

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The week after the Life is Beautiful festival a tragic and unprovoked gun attack happened in Las Vegas. A gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night. Fifty nine people were killed and more than 500 injured in the attack, making this the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Our thoughts, love and deepest condolences are with all those affected.

Charlotte Dutoit, curator of the Life is Beautiful festival for five years commented on this horrific event …

“Although it is very difficult to find the right words amid the unfortunate and senseless violence that took place in Vegas the week after our festival on October 1st, this is also not a time for silence. The city that has been branded and promoted as one of sin, money, gambling and all types excess, has also been Justkids seasonal home, our home, for the last five years. With Life is beautiful we have encountered something way more meaningful than these common slogans. This city for us is much more than a place of continual entertainment and amusement, it’s a space for common growth and human attachment where we have found work, friendship and love. We are this city because this city inhabit us. The fondness we have with the streets, the people and their stories is what we take with us and what welcomes us back every year. That is why what happen in Vegas does not stay in Vegas, it spreads, affects and echoes in every aspect of our lives.
This, however, will not led us astray. We stick to Vegas, we stick to life.” Charlotte Dutoit

 

 

Stay Strong Vegas