MOMO
Open Source / Mural Arts Philadelphia
Sonesta Philadelphia, 1800 Market Street and 1831 Frankford Ave
June - November 2015
Highly regarded for painting colorful large-scale murals composed of intersecting lines, geometric shapes, and abstract forms, MOMO uses a method of practical geometry, a technique used by masons and carpenters in order to render his visually stunning and expansive geometric forms.
As part of Mural Arts Philadelphia Open Source city-wide public art initiative, MOMO created two murals in the city. The first, located in one of the busiest intersections in Philadelphia, the artist and his assistant painted a monumental 22-story vertical mural by hand directly on the façade of the Sonesta Hotel. Working on a swing stage for two weeks, their progress watched by people who work in the surrounding offices, MOMO sought to provide a burst of color and organic forms in contrast to the rigidity of surrounding architecture. The shades of color and linear fluidity combined beautifully, resulting in a dynamic beacon amid an otherwise drab environment of concrete, glass and steel.
For his second mural, MOMO shared his geometric technique with students enrolled in Mural Arts’ summer art classes, working with them over the course of several weeks in preparation for painting a collaborative mural in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The wall functioned as an immense sketchpad for the artist and students to apply what they had learned to outline and paint the mural’s colorful geometric shapes, with the artist adding the finishing touches. Launching a series of digital “how-to” videos and art courses open to the public to encourage shared learning, this mural was a true product of education, exercise and experimentation between an artist and his students.
The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, commissioned MOMO to be part of the exhibition Open Source.
Guest Curator: Pedro Alonzo
IG @momoshowpalace / momoshowpalace.com
Photo credits: Steve Weinik