Drawing from photographs of landscapes and cinematic portraits, Sebas Velasco’s murals and paintings boldly capture people and places. For the 2024 London Mural Festival, the artist has unveiled a large-scale portrayal of a local resident of Brixton, where the piece was recently installed on the end of a residential building.
Shown waiting for the Brixton train line, the young man in Velasco’s painting leans back against a concrete railing and looks off to the side, illuminated by the station’s lights, which also glow in the background. Titled “A Lasting Place,” Velasco taps into a sense of time slowing down, contemplation, and ease.
Velasco revels in the process of exploring and learning about the places where he develops his public art pieces. The compositions emerge organically as he immerses himself in the local environment and meets people who live in the area.
Along with his long-time collaborator Jose Delu, who assists with creating highly contrasted, vibrant photographs, Velasco draws on conversations and experiences in each place in order to reveal something of its spirit through his work. He often addresses the idea of connection, which is also the theme of this year’s festival.
If you’re in London, you can explore more than 100 murals through September 29 as part of the event, including pieces familiar to Colossal readers like Marija Tiurina. New installations this year have been created by Aches Elseed, BAPE, D*Face, Betz Etam, Anna Ovney, and more.
Find a map on the festival’s website, and to dig further into Velasco’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
