Final Friday is going international this month with a kick-off event for "Get Up," a dynamic mural fashioned by world-renowned graffiti artist
Maser. The Cincinnati piece is the second of a series of inspirational public art installations that Maser is creating across the United States.
The colorful mural features figures that are pushing and pulling each other out of situations in which they've been mired, explains Andrew Salzbrun, managing partner at
AGAR. The Over-the-Rhine based company, which creates authentic "immersive experiences" between brands and consumers, brought Maser to Cincinnati.
Maser and AGAR first connected during a project they worked on together, a skateboard park in Bentonville, Ark. As the company found out more about Maser and his work, they thought he would make a great addition to Cincinnati's public art culture.
"This piece is about positive social messaging," says Salzbrun. "It's about grabbing one's neighbor or peer and pulling them up out of a bad a situation. That situation could be debt, it could be addiction, it could be poverty. The figures are hoisting each other, and striving to get each other out of the bad situation."
Maser began creating the mural in mid-March. It's on a wall in the
Pendleton neighborhood—at 522 E. 12th St. It's at the intersection of 12th, Pendleton and Reading. The mural was filled in with primer and finished in spray paint.
The mural will officially be unveiled this Friday as part of Pendelton's Final Friday. Dubbed "
An Urban Ballyhoo of Artistic Expression," the free reception will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. in the warehouse next door to the mural. Inside, Maser will be showcasing additional art installations, and live music will be provided by Archer’s Paradox, Black Signal and DJ Clockwork.
“Maser is not only shedding a positive light on graffiti,” says Josh Heuser, owner of AGAR. “He is inspiring and motivating people through his unique art style.”
Maser has been creating art across the globe since 1995. You can see his work in Austria, Belgium, Copenhagen, Germany, Holland, London, Prague, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, as well as his birthplace—Ireland. Maser has studied fine art and achieved a qualification in Design Communication. Among his many achievements, he has been awarded with a membership to the
International Society of Typographic Designers.
By Feoshia H. Davis
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