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Mantra’s Murals Collect Enormous Butterflies in Building-Size Specimen Cases

15 Jan, 2025

This post was originally published on Colossal

French artist Youri Cansell, a.k.a. Mantra (previously) continues to brighten neighborhood streets and large cities alike with his vivid insect murals. Drawing on a fascination with nature and its preservation, he creates monumental specimen cases on buildings around the world, filled with a wide variety of butterflies.

The artist recently completed his largest mural to date in Miami, positioned on the rooftop of the Southeast Financial Center building. Nestled into the surface of a characteristically organized case, a range of colorful butterflies rest alongside the structure’s utility systems.

an aerial view of a person painting a giant rooftop mural of realistic butterflies
Detail of progress on mural in Miami

The mural features numerous species, including the endangered Miami blue butterfly that’s native to South Florida. “It’s always a pleasure to paint in Miami, a city that thrives on its vibrant mix of people and cultures—much like the butterflies in my mural, which represent a diverse selection of specimens,” the artist says.

Additional recent projects include a giant glass-fronted display on the side of a building in Brooklyn and a towering, narrow composition in downtown Houston. Find more on Mantra’s website and Instagram.

a giant mural on the side of a multistory building of realistic butterflies arranged as if in a specimen case
Houston, Texas
a giant mural on the side of a building in downtown Brooklyn of realistic butterflies arranged inside the windows as if in a specimen case
Brooklyn, New York
a giant mural on the side of a brick building of realistic butterflies arranged as if in a specimen case
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Breda, The Netherlands
an aerial view of a person painting a giant rooftop mural of realistic butterflies
Detail of progress on mural in Miami
a mural of a large butterfly on the side of an old brick building, photographed at dusk
Rombas, France
an aerial view of a person painting a giant rooftop mural of realistic butterflies
Detail of progress on mural in Miami

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Mantra’s Murals Collect Enormous Butterflies in Building-Size Specimen Cases appeared first on Colossal.

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