A large scale collaboration over the years by artists from all over the world, the Wynwood District in Miami has become one of the best places in the world to wander around to catch a glimpse of graffiti and street art from some serious international artists.
Wynwood is on the mainland side of the city, nestled between Little Havana and Downtown Miami to the south, and Little Haiti to the north. It’s walkable, beautiful and full of gems to discover. The formerly (and sometimes still) abandoned warehouses and industrial buildings provide a constantly changing canvas for spray paint and wheat paste. And increasingly also housing galleries, restaurants, shops, arts complexes and an ever growing collection of tourists.
We got the chance to explore the Wynwood walls by foot! Luckily, most artists tag their work, and after a little online detective work we were able to find out a bit more about some of the elusive artists behind these loud and luscious murals.
1. Clandestinos
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Dubbed the ‘Free Lolita’ mural after the Seaquarium Orca it depicts, this piece is part of a larger collection of works created for Art Basel this year on the Wynwood walls. It was created by Clandestinos—a husband and wife team with the wild pseudonyms Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky.
Instagram: clandestinosart
2. Swoon
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Instagram: swoonhq
3. David ‘MEGGS’ Hooke
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This Australian artist has got the drop—he’s splashed red and cyan murals all over the U.S. and all around the world, with a particular focus on California and the West Coast. Despite the frequent flux of Wynwood walls, “No Sea No Life” has survived since Art Basel 2014.
Instagram: houseofmeggs
Haas & Hahn
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Jeroen Koolhaas (HAAS) and Dre Urhahn (HAHN) focus on underserved communities, focusing their art on activism that transforms through art. Their most famous piece painted the Favelas of Brazil, and earned them a nice TED Talk, among other fame. This piece is from Wynwood Walls’ 2014 program, The Art of Collaboration.
Twitter: dreurhahn
King Raptuz
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An Italian graffiti artist and writer is also founding member of TDK Crew and The Spaghetti Funk Crew (a Milenese hip hop collective). Done in a geometric style characteristic of his work, this piece was done for the Hausammann Gallery for Art Basel 2015.
Instagram: kingraptuz
Miss Van
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Miss Van’s on the top of the list when it comes to famed graffiti artists. Hailing from Toulouse, France, this artist brought a femme aesthetic to an often male-dominated art form with her “Poupes”, the figures that grace the majority of her work. This piece rests within Wynwood Walls, an outdoor graffiti-based exhibition space highlighting some serious street art heavy-hitters.
Instagram: vanessa_alice
Brusk
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French artist Brusk’s eerie melting rainbow figures decorate the insides of galleries as well as their outer walls. This is another example of a work from “Big Walls, Big Dreams.”
Facebook: Brusk
Alex Senna (Left) / Rudy Mage (Right)
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Alex Senna is a Brazilian artist and illustrator, from São Paulo, who features youthful and quirky black and white illustrations focusing on romance and relationships. Rudy Mage is the Creative Director for print and design studio Inked Pro, and popped up a flamingo for the 2014 Art Basel—and there it still stands.
Instagram: Alex Senna, rudy_mage
Jules Muck
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Jules Muck made “Cakes, Kitties N Cars” for Wynwood during her #MuckTour. Born in England and now living in Venice, her detailed works have been featured in publications from the LA Times to Rolling Stone Magazine.
Instagram: muckrock
Fábio Panone Lopes / FPLO
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This artist and architect has been working for fifteen years all over the US and Europe, down through South America. His work echoes stained glass—blocks of color composing outlined figures of animals and mythical figures (and yet again my friends, “Big Walls, Big Dreams.”)
Instagram: studiofplo
Sheryo
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Singaporian artist Sheryo is based out of Brooklyn, but fills up walls all over the world with pop-culture inspired characters. We think the word ‘gnarly’ fits the murals she makes collaboratively with The Yok, and painted this piece for Art Basel 2013.
Instagram: spacecandy
