FALKO AND HIS ELEPHANTS
One of nature’s most magnificent creatures is the mighty elephant. Known to be some of the most sensitive animals, elephants have a depth of emotions that evoke an overwhelming sense of connection and love. What goes right to my heart is the strong communal bond elephants share.
Over the course of years, I’ve read literature and observations about the behavior of elephants. They mourn when they lose a member of their herd. They all join together when it comes to raising and nurturing the young ones. They even have robust memories – many elephants have been recorded to visit their human caretakers after being released from shelters, and some elephants also mourn the loss of those human caretakers.
Simply beautiful, sensitive and intelligent, the love of elephants has transcended into street artist Falko One’s art. Born in South Africa and painting his first wall in 1988, Falko made a name for himself at a time when the apartheid was going strong and when the world’s first hip-hop movement was spilling over the American borders, into another continental territory.
In love with the new changes, gangsta rap and psychedelic hues, Falko became popular for his murals, which painted elephants in wild and vibrant colors. Using tons of pink, blues, purples and other colors that make bleak walls come alive, Falko’s elephants have come to embody social critiques and are all over the walls in mostly impoverished locales.
Sponsored by Red Bull, Falko began painting over ten towns in South Africa, with Adidas South Africa sponsoring two. Using his projects, paints and elephants, Falko goes around South Africa, never staying in one place for too long and leaves a piece of his art on an unsuspecting wall. He leaves with more acquaintances and better knowledge about the country’s social and political structures.
But why elephants? Why does Falko One focus most of his street murals on large animals painted brightly and looking like they belong in a rap/hip hop museum? According to various resources, Falko claims that elephants are his oasis. The artist has been recorded to say that he feels contentment when he uses elephants as a subject and unable to articulate his preference any further, he hopes his art will do the talking.
However, turns out, elephants are also his way of claiming his space as an artist. Having been told he can’t draw chickens because they’re used in black magic rituals, painting elephants is perhaps Mr. Falko One’s way of clamping back at archaic cultural values and superstitions that are very limiting.
Super cool, chill and definitely talented, Falko One’s work can be found on brick walls, concrete surfaces and metal. Oh, and that’s not all, he paints some fire murals of sea creatures and humans and infuses worldly cultural themes with stunning African features! He is definitely one of a kind.
