Harvesting Hope by Candy Kuo in Austin

Harvesting Hope

This is currently my largest and most complex solo mural project. I had been selected out of an open call to create an environmental justice piece for the city of Austin's oldest institution of higher learning, Huston-Tillotson University. Funded by a grant through Mural Arts Philadelphia to local organizations Raasin in the Sun and the ATX Mosaic Workshop, this project was tirelessly developed over multiple years and phases. With the city's uneasy past and participation in the erosion of East Austin's green spaces and safe and equitable housing and land protection policies, we wanted to address the idea and theme of resiliency in the face of climate change and environmental injustices. The process involved multiple team meetings involving local community leaders, university staff, city council members, among many others who all donated their time and voices to lend strength to the message. Carefully edited through rounds of consideration by local residents as well as long-established public art facilitators, this was the final chosen composition. There was no doubt for me as to whether or not Mother Nature would be a woman of color, her skin the same tone as the rich, fertile soil. Her womb capable of creating life and her body, nourish and sustain it. Furthermore, I wanted these figures to represent not just the past, present, and future, but specifically the multi-generational fight against the generational curses being perpetrated against this earth, our shared home, and the power in advocating for change and standing by your conviction, even if it means standing alone. The powerful divider and decider of the past and future. A resilient figure in the face of adversity. The archway opens like a portal into the unknown and bright future, the hands of our children carrying on the torches of life, but also the heavy burdens of our failures as stewards of their equitable and just future. I hope that in 30 years when my daughter is the age I am now, she will be living in a world where everybody sees the value in the natural gifts and wonders of this earth, where access to clean water, air, land and food is in abundance, and where our rights to bodily autonomy, and how we choose to live and love are never questioned. And if this mural still stands that day, I hope it is a distant reminder of the past, and that no matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise in the East.

Meet the Artist

Candy

Austin, United States

Candy is a Taiwan-born visual artist and muralist currently based out of Austin, Texas. With a background in fashion and music, her pieces often feature strong female portraiture, bright colorways, playful depictions of local flora and fauna, as well as influences from pop culture and inspirations. She blends styles and motifs from her experiences growing up in Taiwan and the Rio Grande Valley, exploring a multicultural style of East and Southwest. She has been painting murals professionally since 2016. Her main focus is with acrylic, ink, and aerosols, though she works in a variety of mediums, spanning from traditional oils and watercolors to textile art. Her primary focus for the last 7 years has been murals and large-scale installations, traveling for festival installations, and collaborating with local organizations in public art and community renewal initiatives across the country. Her works often explore human nature and the symbiotic relationships we have with our world; her recent works seek to dissect and reflect on her identity as an immigrant, a female artist in a male-dominated industry, and as a mother, while engaging with the public through impactful story-telling. Candy has an extensive portfolio of publicly and privately commissioned art projects across the country. Many of these large-scale installations are permanent fixtures in local establishments, and range from individual projects to full-scale installations that often require collaborating with other artists, designers, and agencies. In the last six years, she has completed close to 80 mural projects and has been featured in press and festivals across the United States as well as Taiwan. From initial design to final execution, Candy has extensive experience working on each facet of the mural fabricating process. Her skills include painting on many different conditions of interior as well as exterior surfaces, prepping work areas and surfaces, operating scissor and boom lifts, executing the design, and integrating the client’s needs and vision for the space to best fit the branding, culture, or mission. Her completed projects have included numerous residential as well as commercial mural installations ranging from national brands to local businesses and organizations. She has worked with companies such as Huston-Tillotson University, Bumble, Austin City Limits, Downtown Austin Alliance, the Arrive Hotel, Waterloo Greenway, and Misfit Collectibles, and was recently selected to be featured in the inaugural mural festivals for both the city Austin as well as Beaumont, a city in East Texas.

More artwork by Candy