Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Bumblebeelovesyou Retraces Childhood with a Social Message

Los Angeles based street artist Bumblebeelovesyou colors the urban landscape with stencils of children that deliver an important message. Why take the namesake of a bee? This little insect has been attributed to human survival and development because of its role as a pollinator. The bee’s endangerment due to pollution, urbanization, and other factors could mean devastation. Bumblebeelovesyou began with hanging paper mache beehives in phone kiosks, pointing to the link between rising cellphone usage and change in bee migration. Since then, his work has developed into a range of paintings, sculpture, and installations with a social and environmental focus. By telling his personal coming of age story for anyone to see, Bumblebee reminds us of the value of innocence, away from industry and technology.

Los Angeles based street artist Bumblebeelovesyou colors the urban landscape with stencils of children that deliver an important message. Why take the namesake of a bee? This little insect has been attributed to human survival and development because of its role as a pollinator. The bee’s endangerment due to pollution, urbanization, and other factors could mean devastation. Bumblebeelovesyou began with hanging paper mache beehives in phone kiosks, pointing to the link between rising cellphone usage and change in bee migration. Since then, his work has developed into a range of paintings, sculpture, and installations with a social and environmental focus. By telling his personal coming of age story for anyone to see, Bumblebee reminds us of the value of innocence, away from industry and technology. A “90s kid”, Bumblebee’s pop culture references go back to Saturday morning cartoons, films like The Land Before Time and Jurassic Park, and his own childhood memories. There is a feeling of nostalgia throughout his work. His scenes show kids literally playing on a street corner in their pajamas, swimming with dolphins across a building, or going surfing in the dry LA River.  Often, they wear the signature bee-colored yellow and black striped shirt.  Using the power of social media and communication, Bumblebeelovesyou has brought these blissful and sometimes troubling images to public awareness. Coming up next, you can find Bumblebeelovesyou in “LAX/TXL” by Thinkspace Gallery at Urban Nation on May 17th.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Buenos Aires based artist Nicolás Romero, aka "Ever Siempre" or "Ever", began his career painting letter-based graffiti which has since evolved into colorful, figurative oil paintings. His portraits of every day people, family members, and political figures are usually based on images that he finds on the internet, then reinterpreted into surrealistic paintings that echo his street art. Self-described as "obsessive" about the human body and experimentation with its form, Ever brings a certain personal mythology to his subjects.
Jen Stark, first featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 20, has become well known for her artworks that appear to ooze and blossom into harmonious rhythms of colors. Although she made a name for herself for her intricate paper sculptures, she has since explored a variety of media including wood, paint, plexi and animation- notably, the wormhole and animated dripping entrance that she created for Miley Cyrus at the 2015 MTV VMAs. Stark's largest work to date is another new venture for the artist.
Portuguese street artist Add Fuel cleverly combines tradition and modernity in his murals, which borrow the techniques of a traditional style of Portuguese glazed tile work called azulejo. At a first glance, the blue, ornate glazed patterns of azulejo remain intact, but upon closer inspection, one begins to make out whimsical, cartoon-inspired characters in the classic designs. Add Fuel is also a commercial illustrator and toy designer, and the surreal creatures embedded in his tile work evoke a Pop-inspired aesthetic. He frequently juxtaposes clashing tile patterns to create images and text within the decorative motifs, resulting in many images hidden within images. Take a look at some of his recent work below.
Rimon Guimarães is a young, Brazilian artist who has painted murals across the world, visiting locales such as the Netherlands, France, and Gambia to leave pieces of his work behind. Guimarães' works typically feature mask-like characters and bright colors and patterns — perhaps an homage to the prevalence of African diasporic traditions in his native country. Indeed, the pieces he created in Gambia look right at home, juxtaposed with local women passing by in their exquisitely patterned dresses. His work exudes happiness and adds vibrance to any urban setting.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List