the street is our gallery

Australian contemporary artist Darren and Emmelene Mate, collectively known as DabsMyla, created a colorful expansive mural on a former massive water tower structure in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

Invited by women-led global curator group Justkids and Arkansas organization OZ Art , the Los Angeles-based husband and wife duo, known for its bold, playful, and whimsical style, wrapped up the disused industrial edification with a colorful gradient pattern featuring larger than life psychedelic illustrations of varied flora, including endemic vegetation of the region.

“Color plays a big role in our work and how we create. For this piece, we wanted to produce an uplifting feeling through flowers and running a rainbow of hues from the bottom to the top. This is a really large work, and we hope that it will positively impact the community and bring happiness to
everyone who passes by it”. {DabsMyla}

The ambitious 70 feet tall circular flower bed untitled Magical Unity and featuring all the colors in the world was hand painted by the duo and achieved in just a week. “DabsMyla’s mastery of color theory and composition dynamic perfectly speaks to the cylindrical nature of the canvas. The piece creates an unexpected dialogue with the surrounding nature and invites the viewer to step into their mesmerizing peaceful world” said Justkids curator Charlotte Dutoit about the collaboration.

This is not the first time the global curator group Justkids has worked to bring public art to the Northwest Arkansas. Since 2015 they have curated and produced over 50 projects in the region from sculptures to installations, performances, murals and pop-up exhibitions for institutions, cities and organizations. Magical Unity by DabsMyla was created for ARkanvas, a statewide engagement curated by Justkids and commissioned by Arkansas Art organization OZ Art in partnership with Unexpected, bringing art experiences by world-renowned artists to Arkansas, fostering community through a shared appreciation of culture and nature across

The Natural State.
Project: ARkanvas by OZ Art – Curator: Charlotte Dutoit for Justkids
Date: December 2020 – Location: Fort Chaffee – Partner: Unexpected