Overcast by Brett Bolton
The city of Las Vegas is committed to promoting and developing the arts as a meaningful and creative part of our community. The Contemporary Public Art Program is intended to partner with the community, artists and creative teams to present temporary, site-responsive murals, sculptures, projections, performances and other proposed media on public and private designated property sites. Artwork commissioned through this program may remain installed for up to 12 months. Selected artists are eligible to receive up to $10,000 toward direct project costs. Larger projects may be eligible for additional funding. The city will arrange for an engineering review by a Nevada licensed engineer as necessary.
Rainbow Flora by Beck+Col
On display through March 2025 at the Las Vegas Municipal Pool
After vacationing in our dimension, the rainbows’ inter-dimensional travel device malfunctioned and they cannot get back home. Stranded and homesick, the Rainbows are trying to recreate a little piece of home here on Earth. Through blips in the divide between the universes, they have been able to bring a piece of their native flora through to our side. The colorful, fluffy pod simultaneously acts as an envoy from another dimension and to help the rainbows feel more at home in ours. This brightly colored beacon enters into our universe to spark imagined futures and other possible realities. The Rainbow Flora has an embodied presence, activated by the wind and passersby. Two forms that taper into an elegant touch at the peak are a symbol of the coming together of two worlds.
Ripstop fabric is gathered into ruffles to create a fluffy appearance. A triadic color scheme blends in an asymmetrical gradient. The sculpture utilizes the transparency of the material and optical mixing to create this gradient effect. The fabric responds to wind, giving a subtle component of motion that creates a unique experience each visit.
Through costume-based performance and video, Beck+Col build alternate universes that are populated by monsters, spawning a counter mythology and queering of existing norms. Their work is not human-centered. Instead, it privileges the monster, challenging what is/not human. The aggressive colors, ornate monsters and corresponding sets create a hyperreal setting of excess that fosters an overwhelming weirdness.
The rainbow monsters are monochromatic, interdimensional travelers. They are a chosen family that highlights the power of community, countering the effects of atomization. The introduction of the Rainbow Flora into our world symbolizes fostering community, and caring for others and our environment.
Davoud by Nima Abkenar
On display through November 2024 at 1500 B St., Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
The city of Las Vegas Public Art Program commissioned Nima Abkenar to create a temporary original work of art for the Contemporary Public Art Program. He is a conceptual artist from Iran. For the past five years he has collaborated with art entities such as Black Mountain Institute, Dwell, AG gallery and the city of Las Vegas to create installations and develop public art projects both nationally and in his home country. See the brochure.
Better Luck Next Time by Shan Michael Evans
On display through November 2024 at southeast corner of Main Street & Gass Avenue
The city of Las Vegas Public Art program commissioned Shan Michael Evans to create a temporary original work of art for the Contemporary Public Art Program. An established self-taught Las Vegas artist since the late 1990s local café culture scene, Shan Michael Evans has constantly displayed a certain world of wonder through his illustrated works. A purveyor of public art through stunning mural work and ongoing local projects, including ZAP and the Aerial Gallery, his work has been seen across the entire Las Vegas valley. Participating in the many public projects and outings provided by the growing Las Vegas community is his abiding inspiration and motivation.
Pixelated Mushroom Cloud by Pasha Rafat
On display through December 2024 at the northeast corner of Main Street and Colorado Avenue
The city of Las Vegas Public Art program commissioned Pasha Rafat to create a temporary original work of art for the Contemporary Public Art Program. He is a professor of art who teaches interdisciplinary courses in alternative photographic processes and intermedia. His light construction and sculptures echo the work of a group of 20th-century artists whose interest lay in real and physical phenomena, rather than illusory material. Of particular interest to his work is the Russian Constructivists’ stressing of transparency of material and the California Light & Space Artists’ exploration of perceptual, spatial and atmospheric aspects of art.
Archived Project Links