The Italian graffiti artist painted the geometrical design on a street corner in Mannheim for the 2019 Stadt Wand Kunst Street Art Festival, which is a mural project.
Peeta has transformed the facade of a residential house in the German city of Manheim into a deceiving ‘anamorphic’ mural. The art work was commissioned on the occasion of the Stadt Wand Kunst Street Art Festival and consists into a a series of ribbons and geometrical designs that break the architecture of the building without betraying its original nature.
Regardless of the form, graffiti drawings only have one main goal. And that is to communicate with the people through the conveyance of relevant messages by means of art. Peeta, in particular, creates 3D-looking abstract drawings on his mural compositions to create a unique kind of visual rhythm.
Peeta started his career as a graffiti artist in 1993. The aspiring artist created his first mural on his neighbor’s small wall fencing. That’s when he decided to pursue his passion in graffiti. He later became a member of the most-renowned teams of graffiti artists such as EAD Crew (Padova, Italy) and RWK Crew (New York City). He also has participated in various art shows and festivals in different parts of the world. This gave him the opportunity to showcase his impressive 3D-looking abstract murals.
Peeta previously used airbrush to paint on walls. But he decided to permanently substitute it with acrylic paint, brushes, and rolls. Depending on the scale of the façade, it usually takes him 15-20 days to complete a large scale mural project. Over the years, he has transformed several buildings into incredible three-dimensional art pieces. His latest creation is this abstract mural on a building in Mannheim, Germany featuring tones of blue, white and gray.
Here are some of his equally-stunning mural compositions featuring 3D-looking abstract drawings:
Peeta is known worldwide for his trompe l ‘œils style, emerging from the italian graffiti scene during the 1990s. His work explores the potential of sculptural lettering and anamorphism, both in painting and in sculpture.
Now in its seventh year according to culture blog montana-cans, the stadt.wand.kunst project invites street artists to mannheim every summer. Whether national newcomers, international stars or emerging regional artists, each of them spends months in advance preparing a new mural to add to the district.
Peeta said he started painting and studying art in the early 1990s, but he had a love for sculpting from a young age.
“Enjoying sculpture from a young age gave me insight on how to design things with clay and making sculptures with marble,” he said. “My way of understanding shapes and designs that I use in my murals now largely comes from my work with sculpting.”
At first glance, Peeta’s painted shapes and shadows on this wall of a hotel in Barcelona, Spain, blend in with the surrounding balconies and walls.
Take another look and notice how the shapes appear to move off the surface.
Peeta draws inspiration for his murals from the building’s architecture and surroundings.
“It’s very important to interact with architecture,” Peeta said. “Interacting with the geometry of the space is fundamental because every space is completely different.”
Using only paint, Peeta turns flat surfaces into masterpieces that appear three-dimensional.
“By playing with different shapes, shadows, contrast, and colors, I can create something that has movement,” he said.
The three-dimensional effect of Peeta’s murals comes from a technique called anamorphic painting, which he explained gives the illusion of depth and space where it doesn’t exist.
Anamorphic painting is a technique that has existed since the 15th century, according to Create, Adobe’s official online magazine.
Another example of the technique, which makes paintings and two-dimensional pieces of art appear to be jumping off a canvas or surface, is illustrated on the Guinness World Records website, which features the world’s largest anamorphic painting.
Peeta’s murals often include fluid, rounded shapes that make it hard to believe the wall is completely flat.
His massive murals require large-scale equipment, like cherry pickers and industrial-quality paint.
Peeta said his background in sculpting makes his one-of-a-kind murals what they are today.
“I’m not just painting or creating abstract designs,” he said. “I’m also using a lot of geometry and architecture to think specifically how I can create illusions on each structure.”
“If it’s raining or too hot outside, my murals can be delayed, which is hard,” Peeta said. “That’s a challenge with outdoor art, but it also makes it exciting.”
Peeta said he doesn’t aim for his abstract murals to convey a specific message, but he does see his work as an opportunity to bring interesting, inspiring art to cities and communities around the world.
“It’s important to have art in places where people may not see it otherwise, and I get to create something that is specific to the site and the environment,” Peeta said.
“With public art, the work is visible whether [people] want it or not,” Peeta said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to create art in places where there’s people everywhere.”
