Chinese-born, South Africa-based artist DALeast was recently in Poland painting a new mural for the Street Art Doping mural festival in Warsaw. This is one of the few murals he has painted as of late, as he has been focusing on studio work this year. DAL’s distinctive style evolved from his effort to paint large pieces without using much paint, a technique he came up with back in his homeland. As time went on, this technique became his unique, recognizable signature.
In Poland he created a piece called “Dormant Antennae” on an old brick building, painting an image of a falcon standing on a cobra. DAL’s intention was to make the mural look as if it has been part of the building for a long time, so the artist added some earthy shades in addition to his signature black and white palette. Using blue and orange tones, he gave the image an antiquated feel, blending it with the rugged wall and responding to its shape. The idea behind the mural is that the cobra is the falcon’s life line. The serpent is reaching to the sky and its shape appears to continue the line of an antenna on top of the building. As symbols of awareness, the animals in the piece evoke the idea of tapping into one’s inner potential.
After this quick trip to Europe, the South Africa-based artist went back to his studio where he is working on his next solo show premiering at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NYC this September.
Photos by credits to DALeast and Maciej Kruger.
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Ricky Lee Gordon, who also paints under the moniker of 
Closing this weekend at