Axel Void – Daily life and time inside the community
Central to the work of Axel Void are the mediocre figures, the ordinary man and his everyday struggles or joys, and the community as the connector between individuals, the force that unites people to common values, to hope and strength, and a harmonious coexistence. The artist takes a look inside the communities he encounters during his travels and reflects his personal experiences through powerful murals which he presents as a tribute to daily life.
His recent interventions for Artesano Project (also view photos from the 2014 edition) introduce a visual discourse on time and how we choose to spend it, but also on generations and the relationship between elders and the youngest ones to picture the passing of time.
Other murals show the causes of discontinuity inside the community through a focus on economic rather than cultural goals, while some mirror isolation and suffocation resulting from living in a claustrophobic society and today’s pressing contexts that often lead to separation, fear and anxiety.
TIEMPO, Nagua, Dominican Republic, for Artesano Project. Mural part of the Mediocre series, a tribute to daily life.
“This mural is based on a photo I took of Gladys, the grandmother, and Rosibel, the granddaughter at the entrance of their house. They are born and raised in Nagua.”
TIEMPO, Nagua, Dominican Republic, for Artesano Project. Mural part of the Mediocre series.
“This mural is painted on the home of Gladys and Rosibel, the grandmother and granddaughter I had painted on my previous mural.”
Collaboration with Sebas Velasco and Evoca1 (featured) for Artesano Project, in Nagua, Dominican Republic.
“This mural depicts one of the many street dogs in Nagua. To me it speaks to what quality of life means and a reflection of what time is, and what we do with it.”
C10H15N, Gainesville, FL, USA.
“This mural depicts the view of Downtown Gainesville from the rooftop of a parking garage.
Gainesville is considered a college town. The nature of the town has been subjected to the structure of the university campus. In my view, this format impedes the town’s development towards its own sense of community and idiosyncrasies.
Where students normally join a town, adopt its culture and contribute to it, in this case they reformat the town to feed their needs and often with economic purposes rather than cultural ones. This is not seen exclusively in college towns. Many other places in the US share this format of city planning that seems to be based on a pragmatic point of view rather than a cultural and community-oriented one designed to better the quality of life of its citizens.
C10H15N is the chemical composition of Methamphetamine.”
GRAY, Cologne, Germany, for CityLeaks 2015.
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All images © Axel Void
Find out more about the artist on his website, on Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo.
Check our previous posts about the artist and his intervention for Dismaland.