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    CultureMap Video

    Graffiti finally gets its just due in Houston: Towering Midtown mural honors street art's good work

    Joel Luks
    May 31, 2014 | 2:29 pm
    Graffiti finally gets its just due in Houston: Towering Midtown mural honors street art's good work
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    Known in the street art community as Mr. D, muralist Sebastien Boileau is in the process of completing a massive installation that has the city abuzz. His newest work, dubbed the "Biggest Mural in Houston," towers over the Midtown landscape with the downtown skyline looming above its thoughtful, poetic message.

    Boileau's tremendous undertaking, titled Preservons la Creation, covers one wall of a five-story building that's visible from an empty lot on the corner of Tuam and Fannin streets. To finish the mural, he will need an estimated 500 cans of spray paint and more than 100 gallons of exterior paint to coat the 9,750 square feet of concrete bricks, which form a surface that's 160 feet wide by 60 feet tall.

    For skeptics, this superlative claim has been verified by the Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston director of cultural affairs. Cynthia Alvarado, managing director of the Midtown Management District, inspected murals around the city before the 2012 unveiling of a former Boileau commission, the Love You mural, at the time one of the largest in the city, located at the intersection of Anita and Main streets.

    Nearly doubling the size of the Love You mural, Boileau's Preservons la Creation is not only impressive in scope, but also in meaning.

    The Legacy of Street Art

    While the role of art institutions and galleries is to conserve and protect the cultural legacy of the past and present for future generations, who or what is advocating for the care of street art?

    Some may argue that the temporary nature of urban genres such as graffiti doesn't offer any practical solutions, particularly in environments where the elements themselves are a brute force that can determine the lifespan of outdoor installations.

    "When you see an impressive work of art, it's almost like a religious experience. Why not think of urban art in the same light?"

    Then there are risks associated with unsupervised premises. Street art is by no means immune to vandalism. Just last week, Boileau's Biscuit Home mural was defaced by taggers. Houston artist Reginald Adam's President Obama mural, titled Hope, was damaged in 2012 and again in August.

    But the dialogue that muses over issues of longevity, aesthetic lineage and artistic value is important in that it examines how the fate of an art form that has gained considerable acceptance over the past decade can be safeguarded — or at least remembered — despite the spirit of its humble beginnings.

    "As a graffiti artist looking back, almost everything I've done is gone," Boileau says. "What do we do to preserve this art form, which started in the 1960s and 1970s? What will be left 500 years from now? As an urban artist, most of what we do is covered up or removed."

    Boileau's Preservons la Creation blends the artist's interests in street art and Italian Renaissance culture. Although he's used a recognizable image —Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, an iconic fresco of the Sistine Chapel — Boileau's goal is not to simply replicate a significant work of the past. As one of the most reproduced images, The Creation of Adam has the advantage of being readily identified by the masses. Boileau's choice is on purpose. He wants to inspire an audience who may not be familiar with street art to discover the passion of its creators.

    "I want to encourage people to have the same type of reaction as when they go to a museum or see a cultural relic like the Sistine Chapel," he adds. "When you see an impressive work of art, it's almost like a religious experience. Why not think of urban art in the same light?"

    Noah Quiles, founder of UP Art Studio, describes Boileau's approach as Canpressionism, a combination of spray paint application in the style of Impressionism.

    "By bringing fine art to a contemporary urban setting, we are hoping to educate the public about the possibilities of street art," Quiles says. "In addition to beautifying the burgeoning Midtown area, the community-centered project is meant as a springboard to connect businesses and artists."

    "By bringing fine art to a contemporary urban setting, we are hoping to educate the public about the possibilities of street art."

    From Underground to Foreground

    UP Art Studio, an organization that champions urban art through gallery shows, art commissions and special events, joined Boileau to facilitate the management of the project. With the support of Texan French Alliance for the Arts, the mural also serves as a fundraiser to underwrite a series of children's hospital murals in selected cities in the U.S. and France.

    The collaboration capitalizes on street art's rise in popularity, in essence, as the genre moves from an underground practice into a foreground that's celebrated.

    Boileau says that he has always been attracted to graffiti's energy and the field's freedom of expression. When he relocated from Paris to Houston in 1998, he founded Eyeful Art Murals and Designs, the mission of which is to create unique site-specific artwork for the public and private sectors.

    "Just like jazz, graffiti is an American art form," he adds. "When I had the opportunity to come to the U.S., it didn't take long for me to fall for Houston."

    ___

    Sebastien Boileau's Preservons la Creation will be unveiled during an opening party on June 7 from 3 to 11 p.m. General admission tickets are $10; VIP entry costs $100.

    Known in the street art community as Mr. D, Sebastien Boileau is in the process of completing this massive installation.

    Preservons La Creation
      
    Photo by Joel Luks
    Known in the street art community as Mr. D, Sebastien Boileau is in the process of completing this massive installation.
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    Best June Art

    Where to see art in Houston now: 9 intriguing new exhibits opening in June

    Tarra Gaines
    Jun 9, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    ​The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents “Anicka Yi: Karmic Debt”
    Photographyby Sun Shi
    The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents “Anicka Yi: Karmic Debt” (Anicka Yi / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of theartist and Gladstone Gallery)

    Houston welcomes lots of fun new art shows this month, including Lawndale’s annual “Big Show.” The Asia Society invites people on a scavenger hunt, and Sawyer Yards welcomes art selfies. After a lull during campus renovations, the place for innovative and provocative art at the University of Houston, the Blaffer Art Museum, opens three new exhibitions. Meanwhile, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston travels into a beautiful, luxurious past and into a mind-bending AI future as it celebrates some new acquisitions.

    “The Big Show” at Lawndale Art Center (now through August 2)
    One of Houston's favorite annual shows opens this month, as Lawndale once more puts local artists in the spotlight. As is tradition, this group exhibition features new work by artists practicing within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale. This year’s expert juror is Dr. Phillip A. Townsend, curator of art at the University of Texas’ Art Galleries at Black Studies (AGBS). Townsend has selected 88 works by 77 artists from nearly a thousand entries.

    Naming this 2025 Big Show “Between Lines and Faces,” Townsend chose art that "explores the intersection of three seemingly disparate elements: text, portraiture, and the mundane. When woven together, these themes reveal profound insights into the human condition and the society we inhabit.

    “Be the Art: The Silos Selfie Experience” at Sawyer Yards (now through August 9)
    Here’s one with art created for all the Instagram/TikTok influencers out there. The artists at the Silos have been prompted to display large-scale, nearly immersive works, as an invitation for people to photograph them alone or to take selfies with them. Whether created as a painting, drawing, print, sculpture, or mixed media, these works are camera ready and willing to share screen time with a visitor's face. Each artwork also features a statement from the artist, providing some insights into the inspirations behind their choices in media, color, composition, and narrative.

    “a way to mend” at Blaffer Art Museum (now through September 27)
    Art heals at this new group exhibition showcasing 19 Gulf Coast artists whose work explores recovery, health, and restoration in mental, physical, or spiritual forms. These pieces also find a balance between landscapes and abstraction images. Our region is also a commonality in the work, as the Blaffer preview description of the exhibition notes that these artists find the Gulf Coast as a place of “resilience, transformation, and repair.” Along with visual artworks, the exhibition also features companion essays and poems by five authors who composed written work especially for the exhibition.

    “¡Cuidado!” at Blaffer Art Museum (now through September 27)
    This video installation and sculpture exhibition from multidisciplinary artists X Arriaga Cuellar and Adán Vallecillo also contemplate life and death but with a sharp focus on healthcare workers, especially those from Latin America who came to the U.S. to act as caregivers for the elderly. “¡Cuidado!” combines a video installation of performance work, centering on migrant caregivers from Honduras, with audio and sculptural pieces that represent different modalities of care. Scheduled live performances will also engage with these sculptures. According to the artists, the exhibition serves as a tribute to the Honduran immigrants, including Vallecillo’s sister, Mabel, who have dedicated their lives to this dignified and essential caregiving.

    “Saif Azzuz: Keet Hegehlpa’ (the water is rising)” at Blaffer Art Museum (now through December 20)
    In his first museum exhibition, award-winning California artist Saif Azzuz brings together installations, paintings, and assemblage pieces that examine themes of privatization of land, water, and natural resources. Some of these works will juxtapose 19th century artifacts – like old Allen Brothers advertisements to sell land around Buffalo Bayou — with historical references to indigenous western Gulf Coast cultures such as the Karankawa and Akokisa peoples. The show will include additional artwork from Azzuz’s family members, including Lulu Thrower, Elizabeth Azzuz, Viola Azzuz, Moya Azzuz, and Colleen Colegrove, all embracing ecological messages.

    “Diamonds That Fall from the Treetop” at SANMAN Studios (June 14-July 26)
    Houston-born multidisciplinary artist and curator Robert Leroy Hodge is most known for his award-winning, layered collage work. But with this mini-retrospective of selected works straight from his studio, art lovers will get to experience never-before-seen paintings, sculptures, and even musical compositions by Hodge.

    “Diamonds” marks the first collaboration between the artist and SANMAN and High Hope Studios, and it's intended to demonstrate a shared commitment to creative excellence, cultural memory, and community-building. With this significant collaboration in mind, SANMAN will also offer free programing around the exhibition rooted in Black joy, sound culture, and community connection.

    “From India to the World: Textiles from the Parpia Collections" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (June 22–September 14)
    The exhibition will give visitors their first look at 67 of the 187 pieces the MFAH acquired from the Banoo and Jeevak Parpia Collection, considered one of the most significant holdings of Indian textiles in private hands outside of India. “From India to the World” will give museum visitors insight into the rich history of these silk, muslin, embroideries and vivid tie-dyes created and woven in India. The exhibition also explores the distinctions between textiles made for the Indian market and fabric exported all over the world.

    “The Parpia textile collection is a pivotal addition to our collections,” said MFAH director Gary Tinterow. “Showcasing both trade and domestic textiles from India, it represents over 40 years of dedicated collecting by Banoo and Jeevak Parpia, who have assembled one of the foremost private collections of this material globally. The Parpias’ focus on singular works exemplifying traditional forms and techniques offers a comprehensive view of Indian textile history. With this acquisition, the MFAH collection now ranks among the top public Indian textile collections outside of India.”

    “Memory Palace” at Asia Society (June 25-October 12)
    Find the joy in discovery with this new exhibition of contemporary sculpture from Japanese artist Umico Niwa, whose work has been presented and celebrated in museums and galleries around the world. Resembling flower creatures or nymphs, the delicate Daphnes figures seem to be at play and invite visitors to imagine their own stories for the creations.

    The Asia Society notes that “Memory Palace” draws on Japanese traditions of animism and ancestral reverence but resists easy categorization. Spread across the Asia Society space, the Daphnes call us to an art adventure, as we wander into this “Memory Palace” game of hide and seek.

    “Anicka Yi: Karmic Debt” at Museum of Fine Arts (June 29–September 7)
    Science, technology, and creativity meet in this exhibition at the MFAH. For the latest in the museum's series of immersive summer shows, Anicka Yi, a Seoul-born, New York-based art innovator, stretches the boundaries of art, science, and maybe even mortality in her work, taking visitors beyond time and space with two mind-expanding installations.

    The first section will consist of five of Yi’s large scale, animatronic “Radiolaria” sculptures that resemble giant living cells. The sculptures will be installed so they seem to float within the gallery, as if it were inside a liquid environment. The second installation, the 16-minute video “Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up the Light Of the Moon” is the first work created by Yi using Emptiness, a software system/project created in collaboration with her studio and a team of engineers. Essentially, Emptiness is an AI algorithm trained on Yi’s work that might be capable of producing new Yi-style visionary video pieces even beyond her lifespan.

    “Anicka Yi shows us that it is possible to use AI systems to express our most human concerns, as she invites viewers to consider our place in ever-evolving cycles of creation and change,” said MFAH director Gary Tinterow.

    \u200bThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents \u201cAnicka Yi: Karmic Debt\u201d
      

    Photo by Sun Shi

    The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents “Anicka Yi: Karmic Debt” (Anicka Yi / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of theartist and Gladstone Gallery).

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