“I believe in moments of freedom and joy”, July said.
“Those moments are rare, since we live in a world that only wants you to function, to contribute to the system, a world in which you see disastrous news every day. An empathetic person cannot feel at peace like that.
But there are moments of freedom and joy that I experience when I go surfing, or raving with my friends. And… when I am floating in the ocean with my ears underwater, so I cannot hear anything – anything, but the water.”
July has a strong connection to the Mexican culture, especially to the street art scene, the muralistas, who create magnificent murals. To her, murals are the most democratic and freest way of sharing art: Everyone can see them, and they are designed to speak to the people and not just to a small circle of 'art connoisseurs'. She suggested we go and spray together. And, in fact, the most democratic and free place I know is a wall in a park called Mauerpark ('wall park') in Berlin. The park has this name because it is located on the former wall strip that divided Berlin into East and West after the Second World War. A piece of the original wall is left here. It is located on a slope overlooking the city, giving you a sense of freedom as you gaze at the horizon. Today, anyone can come and spray, literally anyone, no restrictions. As a result, the wall keeps changing every day, expressing the thoughts and visions of anyone who wants to use it. It has become a symbol of freedom. The many, many layers of spray paint every now and then come off like ocean waves, pulled down by their own weight, and disintegrate into mosaic pieces of colour layers covering the ground.
July’s smallest is as wild and colourful as her spirit. On a layer of ocean blue, mosaic pieces of murals from Mauerpark are held together by pink and shimmery blue colour drops, which remind us of an empathetic response towards what we can see in the world outside those moments of freedom and joy. The square system of the smallest simply here enables the freedom of the raving mosaic pieces.
