By Sarah Senese ’23
Eder Muniz, Brazilian street artist and co-founder of the art collective Calangos, led an all-day workshop for advanced art students and is displaying his work as an art installation on the side of the 3-D Arts building, at 117 East Cache La Poudre Street, as well as a mural at Bemis School of Art.
Known also as Calangos de Rua (street lizard), Muniz began drawing and painting the walls of his house at a young age, inspired by the graffiti tags he saw on the streets. Muniz is completely self-taught; he developed his distinct style over the years, inspired by the natural beauty of Brazil and the relationship its ecosystem shared with humans.
Muniz’s art collective Calangos, based in Salvador, Brazil, seeks to empower graffiti artists to replace the traditional, obtrusive graffiti tags in the streets of Brazil with art that conveys social messages, both improving the lives of artists and empowering the culture of favelas(slums) with beauty and deliberate, relevant messages. Muniz’s work has allowed him to travel the world, sharing his vibrant street art with cultures, cities, and artists of all ages.
During his workshop Oct. 7, Muniz worked with advanced art students to draw and create images with spray paint, giving students a chance to experience the art form of graffiti hands-on. Muniz also helped the students understand the unifying power that street art can have, allowing them to create a collaborative mural of their own, working together to form one cohesive image. Muniz says he hopes to instill the idea that art is not an individual task, but one thatmust be collective.
You can see his mural now on the 3-D Arts building east of Campus Safety, but it, along with the building, will soon to be demolished to make way for the future Robson Arena. The mural’s themes center on the human-animal relationship, incorporating a range of bright colors and symbols that reflect Muniz’s interpretation of nature. He aims to provoke both students and the greater Colorado Springs community to consider the connection between humans and nature and our place in a greater ecosystem, as well as instill an appreciation of graffiti art. The murals can be seen on the 3-D Arts building until December and also in Bemis School of Art.
