Art Map Burlington, June 2007

ART REVIEW

Makasi Siriwayo at the Daily Planet

Makasi Siriwayo, a designer and graffiti artist whose paintings are showing at the Daily Planet bar, wisely doesn’t confine himself to one subject or medium. Using spray paint and paint markers as well as acrylic, Siriwayo creates art that ranges from amusing to reflective.

Graffiti art, which some unfairly disregard as vandalism, serves to assert the artist’s identity in a singular way, and has an effective presence in these paintings. Stop staring at me!! (12”x9”; acrylic and spray paint on canvas; 2007) is funny and ironic, the speaker a futuristic cartoon figure in a graphic yellow-green protective suit, finger pointing emphatically. Many of the works contain similar creatures, clad in bright suits with built-in ears, often with an arm upraised or portions of their faces obscured. In some pieces, ominous, leafless trees with exposed roots overtake bright landscapes.

Siriwayo’s more abstract paintings often contain urban or industrial references and angular symbols. Where is the love? (24”x12”; acrylic on canvas; 2007) combines the poignant with the harsh. A heavily layered spectrum of acrylic rains down a vertical canvas, ornamented with jagged symbols, eyes, and a simple black silhouette of a weeping figure, whose cartoon thought bubble asks the question in the title.

Never Forget (24”x30”; acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas; 2007) combines rich reds, oranges and pinks in an approximate patchwork, one color bleeding into the next. Right of center is a silhouette of Africa and geometric symbols line the edges of the canvas: zigzags, intersecting lines, and circles like displaced suns.
Exploring another theme, the artist includes a handful of graffiti flower paintings. Flowers Biptic (approx. 10”x8” each; spray paint on canvas; 2007) repeats a four-petaled flower, one black on a vibrant red background, the other its negative view. The spray paint bleeds into stems, and splatters like pollen flying off the blossom, lending a sense of the immediacy of urban art.

G. BLAKE MACPHAIL

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Daily Planet 15 Center Street (802) 862-9647 www.dailyplanet15.com		ART REVIEW Makasi Siriwayo at the Daily Planet Makasi Siriwayo, a designer and graffiti artist whose paintings are showing at the Daily Planet bar, wisely doesn’t confine himself to one subject or medium. Using spray paint and paint markers as well as acrylic, Siriwayo creates art that ranges from amusing to reflective. Graffiti art, which some unfairly disregard as vandalism, serves to assert the artist’s identity in a singular way, and has an effective presence in these paintings. Stop staring at me!! (12”x9”; acrylic and spray paint on canvas; 2007) is funny and ironic, the speaker a futuristic cartoon figure in a graphic yellow-green protective suit, finger pointing emphatically. Many of the works contain similar creatures, clad in bright suits with built-in ears, often with an arm upraised or portions of their faces obscured. In some pieces, ominous, leafless trees with exposed roots overtake bright landscapes. Siriwayo’s more abstract paintings often contain urban or industrial references and angular symbols. Where is the love? (24”x12”; acrylic on canvas; 2007) combines the poignant with the harsh. A heavily layered spectrum of acrylic rains down a vertical canvas, ornamented with jagged symbols, eyes, and a simple black silhouette of a weeping figure, whose cartoon thought bubble asks the question in the title. Never Forget (24”x30”; acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas; 2007) combines rich reds, oranges and pinks in an approximate patchwork, one color bleeding into the next. Right of center is a silhouette of Africa and geometric symbols line the edges of the canvas: zigzags, intersecting lines, and circles like displaced suns. Exploring another theme, the artist includes a handful of graffiti flower paintings. Flowers Biptic (approx. 10”x8” each; spray paint on canvas; 2007) repeats a four-petaled flower, one black on a vibrant red background, the other its negative view. The spray paint bleeds into stems, and splatters like pollen flying off the blossom, lending a sense of the immediacy of urban art. G. BLAKE MACPHAIL

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