At the right place at the right time. In Dublin we were once again lucky to meet two great graffiti artists at their work. Shortly before the Lock Down and in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, a Leprechaun and Kaa Snake mural by PENS and KEVIN BOHAN was created in the Temple Bar district. Of course we documented the whole thing and also had an interview with Kevin about his art and the Icon Factory. Here we go with the Making Of the newest mural in Bedford Lane.
The Leprechaun is one of the super idols of Ireland and an iconic figure in their culture. At the end of the countless rainbows you can see there because of the on and off raining showers, there is usually a pot of gold hidden by the Leprechaun. The shamrock should not be missing, the overall green look and as a gimmick an EIRE tattoo on his fingers. The Leprechaun brings luck. His mate the snake made by Kevin is based on the character Kaa from the Jungle Book, but as well on the ancient history of St. Patrick who freed Ireland from all snakes. It is a symbol of protection, which is further emphasized by the flag with the words “stay safe”. The two artists want to give a mix of tradition and modern art, but as well a smile and some hope in these difficult days.
PENS is just the best graffiti character artists in Ireland and you can find heaps of his painted cool buddies around the whole city. His style is often comic like and you would recognize the funny dudes or animals on wall fascades and shop entries. After encountering Kevin at the mural wall we went to the local graffiti shop, called All City, where we met PENS buying some more spray cans and equipment.
Kevin Bohan is part of the Icon Factory collective which created the Icon Walk through the back lanes of Dublin´s party district called Temple Bar. Years ago those small alleys have been full of rubbish and dirt, people avoided it to walk through and nobody cared about those areas. In an ongoing project the artists remodelled the streets with colorful artworks and informative signs about important Irish people and happenings. So it´s artful and educational. Kevin´s plan was to paint a collaboration mural every month in 2020. This here is the one from March.
Check out as well the article about this spot here in Bedford Lane on the Streetart Map Dublin with frequently changing artworks from the past years: https://vagabundler.com/ireland/streetart-map-dublin/bedford-lane-10
INFOTHEK
Artist: KEVIN BOHAN
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinbohanart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinbohanartist
Interview: https://vagabundler.com/sprayer/kevin-bohan
Podcast: https://hearthis.at/radio-x-interviews/kevin-bohan
Artist: PENS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pensdublin
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