A new Colombian bar and restaurant is opening in Osaka and the owner wants the theme to be of Macondo, the fictional town in Gabriel García Márquez’s most famous novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Osaka-based American artist DAAS, has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the beloved novelist.
Featured below are some photos to share the perspective and to show the mural’s urban surroundings. You can see that by the end, butterflies have been added to the overall aesthetic. All that is required of the artist now is a bit of ‘fine-tuning,’ but for the most part, this is what it will look like:
“It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.” ― Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
“Things have a life of their own,” the gypsy proclaimed with a harsh accent. “It’s simply a matter of waking up their souls.” ― Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
“Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being”. Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. Such a search is regarded as being very important, since it is believed that discovery of one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life.” (wiki)
Artist’s statement: “For the Takatsuki mural: Takatsuki Art Expo asked me to create a mural design which would highlight some aspect of the city. I did some research and found that there was a large amount of these “Haniwa” (terra-cotta buried statues) found there. They have a large museum in the city dedicated to this and actually have a number of excavated artifacts. Anyway, I took this idea and decided to do a mural that depicted the history of Takatsuki. The mural has a Haniwa female sitting on a Haniwa horse in front of a Haniwa house.”
Osaka-based, American transplant, artist DAAS is making Osaka more beautiful one mural at a time. Japan is slow to embrace the value of masterful street art pieces for the betterment of its communities, but it’s great to see that at least, DAAS is contributing to the progress in that direction. Here is his “Alan Watts” piece on the side of Kuma Cafe in Tempozan. (The owner/s of Kuma Cafe deserve a shout out for their support of public art!)
Tokidoki: Why Alan Watts?(One of my absolute favorite philosophers/thinkers!)
DAAS: I don’t really have anyone I consider a “hero” per se, but after being invited to have my work featured in a street art book with the theme of “heroes”, I thought about someone who I admired and who made an impact on me. I really enjoy his words and philosophies about life and culture. I wanted this mural to bring more awareness to who he was. That’s why I chose Alan Watts.
“…tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live.” – Alan Watts
12may16. Osaka, Japan.
“Things have a life of their own,” the gypsy proclaimed with a harsh accent. “It’s simply a matter of waking up their souls.”
nov14. Kobe & Osaka, Japan.