Street Art from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico ...HELP! What does it mean??
Hi everyone,
I was out today and spotted this mural. I sat and stared at it for so long, and truthfully, I'm not really getting it.
Here it is!
Here's a bit of a close-up; the quality is pretty amazing to me.
And closer still. Look at the details on all the faces within the main face; there are a lot of different emotions portrayed there, perhaps a sign of the varying feelings we all hold within ourselves? Even the figure's ear appears to be another person holding...I hate to say it...but it looks like a beer bottle to me? Perhaps that's just my time in Mexico talking ;) But what does that mean?
But looking again at the entire mural, the man in the boat has the same 'face' as the larger figure? Even close up, I couldn't figure out what was in the boat with the man either, but I do think he has a fishing rod in his hand? And what about the water? And the fact that his face is half submerged in it? Or that the lower half of the face appears to be made of rocks? And see the school of fish running through his hands? Besides the obvious fact that fish live in the water, what's that all about??
So there you have it...I have way more questions than answers for you today!
What do you think it all means?? I'm very curious to hear what you think it's trying to say!
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People are so damn creative... I love it... I specifically like how they made the one face with all the other faces... That is a very cool effect. Nice pics too @lynncoyle1, very vibrant and aesthetic!
You got a 100.00% upvote from @bearwards courtesy of @davemccoy!
Thanks Dave! There obviously, at one time, must have been a city beautification initiative; I would have loved to be here to watch the whole process, and to have an opportunity to speak with the artists, so I wouldn't be left wondering what they were really trying to say!
The talent is really something!
Thanks for stopping by ;)
Hmm, maybe a depiction of the emotions we feel inwardly or maybe a representation of all the people we portray outwardly to others? It's quite strange I guess, and destined to be a mystery unless you can find the artist.
Your interpretation is beginning to be the consensus here, but you're absolutely right. Maybe I'll have to go back and try to figure out who the artist is and make my way to the source...or not ;) There's a part of me that likes the intrigue and wondering now every time I go by it.
Thanks for stopping by @galenkp; hope all is well in your end of the world :)
This was an interesting mural. I do understand your questions - but let art be the answer. Do not try to understand what the artist meant, but try to figure out what it means to you, what emotions does it evoke.
There's a lot of emotion in this for me. There's an obvious feeling of loneliness and isolation. At the same time, it feels there is something weighing me down; I am drowning. I truly enjoyed this, thanks for posting the mural :)
I feel the same way. Art is emotional, it comes from and emotional place. I think this is one of those that depending on how you feel will change how you see it and I think you'll always find new things about it you didn't notice before.
I get that feeling too. With all the different faces, it's all the different aspects of you. You aren't just 1 piece, you are many pieces. That's why I mentioned that each time you look at it you will always find something different about it. It's very moving in a lot of ways.
It did make me feel very sad @tryskele, but I just wasn't figuring out why? After reading all of these awesome comments, I now sense the man being overwhelmed with everyone and everything in his life; the feeling of him drowning with it all. Maybe it's about him trying to figure out exactly who he is, and feeling very alone because of it.
Thanks for adding to this discussion! I really appreciate it :)
You're very welcome : ) This is such an awesome piece of street art, it does what it should. It should make you feel and be a bit introspective. As I said art should provoke emotion, since emotion is what drives art. So glad you found your meaning with it.
The street art here is so amazing! I've been posting about it for a while, but there are hundreds of them in this city!
And I love how it seems to have evoked a different response for people here. We all look at art of any kind with our emotional baggage and life experiences, so I love to see how those things appear when people are interpreting art! Such a cool thing :)
Sorry, work got in the way :D Sounds like you're having a great time. I will definitely have to put that as a destination on my bucket list. Sounds amazing.
No worries! It is an amazing place to visit for sure; you should put in on the list :)
I agree with you 100%! I love how a piece of art can mean 100 different things to 100 different people. This one just had me so confused; I knew it made me feel sad for the figure in the mural, but I just wasn't seeing the connection between that feeling of sadness and the rest of it. I love your idea of the man being weighed down; I also felt a feeling of him being overwhelmed too.
Thank you so much for stopping by; it is very nice to meet you @poetrybyjeremy!
It was my pleasure. Humanity is complex, if you keep asking "Why?" you will never find a definite answer. I have learnt to not question the "why?" but rather accept that as my truth, and try to figure out how to move on or what I can take from this (as a lesson).
Yep I hear you! Asking 'why' is really very irrelevant; it doesn't really matter why, it only matters what is.
Yeah. I have a degree in philosophy, so my life is more about the deeper questions, such as, "What is the meaning of life?"
ahaha
haha you will spend your life searching for that answer my friend ;)
I adore street art! This is such an interesting piece. I love your take on all the emotions we carry. For me, I see how when run the risk of drowning if we take too many burdens from others as our responsibility and job to fix. Must be my guilty conscience talking...lol
Wow, I love that!!! Of course! How often do we say, "I feel like I'm drowning in all of this sh*t". So clever of you @papacrusher ; thank you so much for your comment!
Wow! What an amazing piece of street art! Im going along with what you say... The many faces that make up who he is. THe many emotions that keep him on the edge. If you notice though, his hand under the water seems to be holding him up or keeping his boat from flipping over. I also cant help but to notice the number 13 in the middle. The number 13 is used to show peoples fears. And whats up with the baby? in the boat with him? Wow, so many questions!! Yes, find the artist and report back! Great post! :D
I never saw the number 13, nor did anyone else who commented here!! Good eye:) And I wondered 'what' that was with him in the boat; you're saying a baby, which it very well might be, but I'm with you...what the heck does that even mean? lol. There are some very interesting comments here is you have a sec to read them. They are apparently way more interpretive than you and I hahaha
I saw what looked like a 3, or a 13, but then it also looked like something to do with the background or reflection of the sea.
Since you're talking about it, I also failed to mention that the 'baby' actually looks more like some kind of robot, or like a baby tin man. The guy that forms the big face's right ear also appears to be holding either a candle or an extra antennae of the small robot, since the two objects look similar.
I have no idea what any of that is supposed to mean.
Okay, I'm done. :)
I thought that too about the 'baby'!! And I thought the big guy's ear-guy was holding a bottle of beer haha
I have no idea what it means either! We're callin' this one ;)
I'm sure there are deeper meaning for the artist inner self.
It's the reflection of what we see in ourselves when we look at the art piece that matters I supposed :D
I think so too; we all look at our with our own "history" in interpreting it. That's what is so wonderful to me about reading everyone's interpretations!
Fighting inner conflict I think...It's quite interesting how the lower submerged portion are rocks... signifying the weight of all the emotions... he's trying to stay afloat to go into the sunset..
You might be on to something for sure regarding the "weight" of his emotions and his inner conflict! I like that interpretation; thank you for joining in this conversation:)
thank you for being curious! all the best
Thank you for adding to my curiosity!
The oceans of our emotions hold us up and the variety keep us from drowning in them?
I don't know, but I LOVE this mural. I could stare at it for so long!
Another great interpretation @byn!
I've got back to it so many times since I originally found it; I'm sure the neighbours think I'm nuts lol but I too could stare at it forever!
Just came across this today!
Really neat art! Here are my thoughts:
The man is in a self struggle. The faces within the larger face are all struggling emotions that weigh heavy on this poor fellow. All of that being above the water line is what we perceive. What we don't perceive and maybe the man doesn't perceive it (yet). But under the water and within he is a rock, he is strong and that strength is holding him up for his boy who's watching from the boat. As for the fish...they swim by and provide their guidance to the strength that can not be seen.
Wow! That's a great interpretation @iexplore! Most here saw the rocks as something weighing him down, but I like your positive spin on it...the fact that he is a rock and able to withstand all of his emotions:)
Thank you for your interpretation and adding to this discussion; I really appreciate it!