Street Artist In London Paints Bee Murals To Help Raise Awareness (14 pics)
Louis Masai Michel says he hates being called a street artist even though he creates some absolutely stunning street art. He's been creating stunning murals all over London recently in an effort to help raise awareness about how much bees help the environment. It's a topic most people don't want to talk about but through his art he's finally getting people to pay attention.
My work with the Save the Bees campaign was born of a desire to increase awareness about an impending environmental crisis, with the creative challenges of the spaces I paint
We put the Save the Bees family day on to inspire people
I think there’s a disconnection in British peoples’ minds about their own living environment and the idea of extinction
But I don’t think it’s just the UK, I think that it’s urbanized countries
Although we have countryside here, it is heavily farmed and we’re more aware of farming going on than wild habitats and the need for conservation
When you have countries that have populations of people piled on top of each other and a lack of horizons, I find people care less about what lies beyond
I use cities as locations for art in public spaces, with a limited lifespan, to try and turn awareness into action
The media would have you believe conservationists are an irritant. There’s no space for what I would call, real, everyday conservation
Street art is one of the best ways to reach a mass audience who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity or inclination to engage with traditionally “high-brow” forms of art
We found out that people have a genuine concern for their native animals
It’s been really nice to see the Save the Bees aesthetic moved from outside, public spaces to inside, private environments
Bees are just a small part of the show, the focus will be on a much bigger range of endangered species
I want this show to be a chance for people to see art as a way of connecting with the world on perhaps a more practical way than they had before
