High above High Street
Via Channel 10 WBNS:
https://www.10tv.com/article/california-artists-leaving-their-mark-short-north-2019-jul
COLUMBUS, Ohio - High above High Street, two California artists are leaving their mark on Columbus.
Eric "Zoueh" Skotnes and Ryan "Yanoe" Sarfati are painting three murals on the new Graduate Columbus hotel in the Short North Arts District.
The project is called Journey. According to the Short North Alliance, the murals are designed to represent Columbus as a prosperous and welcoming city. One side of the building features a hummingbird and mythological figures. The other side features Hodan Mohammed, leader of the local Somali community organization Our Helpers and founder of the Columbus Somali Festival.
"For us, it’s about the migrant journey, the possibilities that are here in Columbus, Ohio, for all the immigrants who have come here as well as the possibility to bloom in a city like this, which is the floral depiction that we put on both sides," Sarfati said.
The murals could also represent the artists' own journey from L.A. to Columbus and around the world.
"I used to ride my bike through the L.A. river, and I was really inspired by all the murals going on," Skotnes said. "I remember one time I saw a guy doing this huge portrait illegally in the middle of the river, and I remember thinking that’s what I wanted to do."
Skotnes and Sarfati both made their mark as graffiti artists before branching out into large mural work and the TV and film industry. Their work is now featured in 20 different countries around the world. The two recently made a trip to Israel to paint bomb shelters near the Gaza Strip.
"To beautify these things and add some color to this city – it was actually a small town – was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve done in a long time," Sarfati said.
Now the two are spending the next month in Columbus, where they will be part of the Short North Alliance's new artist-in-residency program, where they will mentor local artists and teach masterclasses.
"It’s a trip to think that, coming from graffiti, where we’re being chased by cops and you get arrested and you go to jail, going into that same, it leads into a path where we can make a living off of it," Skotnes said. "I never fathomed it when I was younger."
The artists are aiming for an Aug. 23 completion date. And, when it's finished, an app will be launched to provide an augmented-reality experience. The public can download the app, aim a phone at the mural, and experience it in 3D. Right now, there is only one other such mural in the U.S. The artists hope theirs will set a record for the largest in the world.
"This is all we do," Sarfati said. "I mean, it my free time, I do art. In my work time, I do art. I mean, this is everything, 24-7, for me."
Skotnes agreed. One of his most memorable moments was having his art lead to a role in Marvel's Runaways television series on Hulu.
"For me, it gives me meaning," he said. "This is my purpose in life is to make murals, do artwork and kinda just share that beauty with the world, try to bring something positive into this world."
The project is funded with support from AJ Capital Partners, Graduate Columbus, The Short North Alliance Art Fund, Columbus Inspires and the Create Columbus Commission.
"When the opportunity to collaborate with a new hotel presented itself, we knew that this needed to be something that was very special," said Betsy Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance. "There are over 40 public artworks that you can find throughout the neighborhood any day, and this will certainly add to an already vibrant landscape for art here in the Short North Arts District. "
The public can see the artists live in action during Friday's Gallery Hop.
A public talk with both artists is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, at Serendipity Labs.
And a free, two-day masterclass for up to 20 local artists is set for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 and 11.
