Streaked with oversized bears whose faces and bodies deconstruct into a million chroma particles, towering building faces become metaphorical nature sanctuaries in the work of Arlin Graff. The Detroit and São Paulo-based artist is an innate lover of abstraction, and it shows in his penchant for graphics that mimic digital art. Graff takes his spray cans and unleashes them into torrents of colors that mimic carefully-applied découpage ribbons.
Arlin, who is Brazilian, draws much of artistic inspiration from his memories from childhood. His earliest recollections of spending time in his family’s woodshed and interacting with animals a young age, reflect in his urban murals. Even in the absence of nature in the hyper-populated spaces where he paints, the artist makes references to his high regard for nature.
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The artist tells Creators what he hopes to communicate in his art: “It makes [viewers] reconsider how grand nature really is, especially when I paint a small animal, like a bird, but make it 100 times larger than it really is… By doing this, I create a change in position and make them think about how small we all truly are and how we should respect nature that unfortunately we as humans have been neglecting. “
These days, Graff travels the world decorating outdoor spaces with his unique visions, seemingly ripped from a mystical jungle filled with animals unencumbered by human touch. Check out more of his work below:
Keep an eye on other works by Arlin Graff on his website, here, and his Instagram, here.
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