Know Hope
Steet art photographer Klaus Warschkow documented the creation of Know Hope’s South African installation
In cape town, South africa, A Word Of Art presented a month -ong painting project called Ways of Seeing, featuring a number of artists. I had the luck and privilege to watch and photograph Adam a.k.a. “Know Hope” paintsone of his murals as one of three artists in residence for the Acrylic Walls Project, curated by a local artist Ricky Lee Gordon a.k.a. Freddy Sam. It was an amazing experience to watch the piece grow and how almost every brush stroke added more shape, detail and depth. Beside the art itself, it was wonderful to watch how residents, bystanders and bypassers reacted to the art and what they had to say. Spending almost six hours over two days in front of the wall I saw neighbors checking in at intervals to see how the progress. People on their way from or to work stopped for a while or just commented while walking past. Kids stopped their play to see what was going on and to ask questions.
This is how street art is so different from art in a gallery. The art reaches people from all walks of life. And, some of the comments from people in the street have been more insightful and from the heart than comments I have heard from people in art galleries.
For a gallery exhibition showcasing the work of KNOW HOPE (Tel Aviv), Gaia (NY), and Franco JAZ Fasoli (Buenos Aires) created during the Acrylic Wall project, check out A Word of Art Gallery in Cape Town from now until March 9th.
