Street Art Profiles: Myth

InspirationArtists

Oct 5

I first came across Myth's street art in Bushwick when I stumbled into this amazing super heroine demanding an end to catcalls. As a woman in NYC, and a runner who often flies around the city solo on foot, catcalling has become an unfortunately regular part of my days, with harassment ranging from annoying to threatening. Well really any harassment pisses me off, especially when I'm trying to de-stress on a run. It is frustrating to deal with catcalls when it feels like there's not much you can say to end it, and I have tried everything from blasting my music, running at night, yelling back, shoulder slamming, avoiding eye contact, glaring, speeding up, and crossing streets to avoid big groups of men. Of course there is no magic solution for me to deal with what is obviously other people's issues that makes them verbally assault women. Which is why I loved this street art character speaking out against harassment. I was so struck by Myth's work and message that of course I had to find this feminist street artist's IG, which is full of more heroic inspiration, revolutionary characters, and thought-provoking messages calling for action.

Thank you Myth for this interview, and I hope sometimes I'm at least half as heroic as your street art characters:).

Follow Myth NY on Instagram for more art inspiration.

What got you into street art?

Well, I grew up in the south Bronx in the 70's & 80's. I was surrounded by graffiti and graffiti writers. My attempts at it were weak to say the least. Graffiti & the love of comic books led to a love affair with art in general. By the late 90's when street art became a "thing," naturally I was obsessed. I didn't start to do anything seriously until 2012 or so.

I love the superhero theme of your art. How did you come up with the idea?

I wanted a vehicle to promote/spread revolutionary theory on the street, so I drew influence from the Soviet and Chinese social realist style of propaganda, where they would have these images of people that looked like super heroes, you know massive muscles & what not, and they would have whatever message the government wanted to broadcast. The use of image & message really appealed to me. So, I decided to use superheroes or other pop characters as a way to attract peoples eyes & hope they pay attention to the message.

Your art has a lot of messages. What gives you inspiration?

Life. The things that I see in life that I believe need to be discussed.

What do you want people to take away from your work?

I would like for people to at least think about whatever the message is. Ideally, the thought would lead into action.

Is there a certain area where we can find a lot of your pieces?

Because I live in Bushwick and I'm generally exhausted from my day to day life, I tend to not stray too far. Bushwick is where you'll find the heaviest concentration, but I do get all over the city.

Any projects you're working on currently?

I just finished up some pieces that are headed to Sheffield, England in swap with a buddy over there, Coloquix. I'm in the midst of my Lego Libre series, which features lego characters. I have some collabortaions in the works with MOWS from San Francisco and Boys Lie & Shewolf who are both from here.