El Mac at Coachella

El Mac participated in the latest iteration of Coachella by painting this mural titled “The Anonymous Farm Worker.” Mac says this about the piece:

It’s not intended to represent any one specific person, but rather many people, especially the “anonymous farm worker”. Farm workers in this country have been marginalized despite producing the very food we all need for survival. The Coachella valley is an important region for farming, and has been the setting for many of the struggles by the UFW to to improve workers’ rights since the 60s..and you can feel this history there. Anytime during the day while I was painting this I could look to the park to my right and see groups of viejitos that looked similar to the man I was painting, all gathered at picnic tables gambling and laughing. One girl came by and asked if I was painting someone famous..when I said no, she replied “good, then I can say it’s my tío..thank you for bringing beauty to our varrio” -This is the best kind of feedback I can hope to receive.

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“Rouge” group show at Cone Gallery

I wish that I could be in LA for this one. Some of my favorite artists will be showing at the upcoming summer group show at the Cone Gallery. From the OBEY blog:

Inspired by recent travels to Paris, Katherine Cone Gallery is pleased to present
a summer group exhibition, titled Rouge. The exhibition consists of original
works of art that will include the color red by renowned artists Edith Baumann,
Sean Cheetham, John Eden, EL MAC, Shepard Fairey, John Van
Hamersveld, Brad Howe, Eric Pedersen, DeWain Valentine, and Suzan
Woodruff.

KATHERINE CONE GALLERY Presents
Rouge
A Summer Group Exhibition
July 20 – August 24, 2013
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 20, 2013 /6-9 pm

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latest from el mac in denmark

El Mac is at it again, this time going big in Denmark. The piece is titled “Purity of Heart.” I’m loving this Triptych. The image on the left wall is a chromatic negative of the one on the right. So cool. There is also a very cool story behind this piece which Mac shares on his blog:

This was commissioned by Martin Nielsen, who recently renovated this century old orphanage. The murals face a large assisted living facility, and every day I painted I felt an extra sense of obligation to my elderly audience to make something beautiful. I also wanted to paint a powerful, dignified portrait of my friend Dame’s father Fabian, who has been battling cancer for years.
Painting this was an amazing experience. Many thanks to the Nielsen family and Galerie Wolfsen for making this happen. Thanks also, once again, to Ari & Lone for all their help. Thanks to Lacheln & Fabian for posing, and to everyone else that showed support.

 

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New El Mac ‘Birds of no Nation”

Mac posted some new work on his blog recently. This was a commissioned celebrating a woman graffiti writer from Afghanistan. Mac explains the piece:

These are shots of a large mural-sized canvas commissioned for the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial in Australia, which opens this weekend. It is a collaboration with Shamsia Hassani and the Propeller Group. Shamsia Hassani is the first and probably only serious female graffiti writer in Afghanistan, and is also an associate professor in the Fine Arts Department at Kabul University.

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El Mac on the Adobe Campus in Utah

El Mac is back at it with this new commissioned piece in the Adobe Campus located in Utah. It is so new that it isn’t even showing up on Mac’s site yet. I came across this Image, and several others on Arrested Motion, courtesy of Wes Colton. I had the pleasure of Meeting Mac and shooting him at work when he showed at Liner, back in 2010. I am a huge fan of his work, and of him as a person. I am hoping to check out this new piece in person next time I find myself in SLC.

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