February 20th 2025 | DAF

Love Lifts Us Up | Mr. Brainwash, 2025

Alter egos and stage names are not used enough (or at the very least not appreciated enough) in the art world. Especially when  the person is not trying to hide their identity like Banksy or something. I’m sure monikers like this one are fairly popular amongst street artists and taggers, but those people don’t frequently get brought into the broader, more academic art world and discussions. Kudos to Mr. Brainwash. Huge fan as of this moment right now.

I’m not sure when this will be posted, but I am writing this on Valentine’s Day and using it as inspiration. As mentioned in the Daily Art Find posted on actual Valentine’s Day, I actually quite enjoy Valentine’s Day and  Valentine’s themed things.

This is a great example of using street art techniques to create a fairly traditional piece of art that can be viewed in more artistic settings, but also can just be viewed anywhere. The concept of graffiti being confined to these immovable buildings can be such a core part of the story and meaning of the art, but it also contributes to the medium’s limited audience and limited appreciation.

I find all the layers/sections in this piece really interesting. The border is extremely colorful and busy as it pays homage to countless styles and iconic moments in the street art and contemporary movements. Within the border, there is references to the classic handwriting and paint drips associated with spray paint, colorful Campbell’s soup cans, Banksy’s black and white monkey, and so much more. The high energy nature of this area of the piece is met with the serene blue cloudy sky that acts at the background for the center area of the art. Amongst these clouds, Mr. Brainwash shows a boy and girl floating in a hot air balloon looking down the London skyline, The children’s basket is being lifted by a balloon that is a composite of spray painted words of affirmation and loving phrases (and perhaps the basket is also being lifted with help from the little girl’s hand held red heart balloon). It is a sweet testament to being uplifted by the power of love.