Escif recently spent some time in Munich, Germany, invited by the Positive-Propaganda organization. During his stay in the one of the richest cities of one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, he found an inspiration in ubiquitous flowers and the local arms industry.
Only about a year ago tens of thousands of voluntary helpers proved that the people of Munich have a big heart when they welcomed refugees seeking for new life and asylum. Always up for tackling the most sensitive subjects, Valencia-born artist wanted to show some of the background on why all those people were fleeing in the first place. Ironically, the very tanks, missiles, grenades and other arms that were destroying their homes, were manufactured in Germany, and some even in Munich-based companies like MTU and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. So, with omnipresent flowers all over the city and the popular phrase “durch die Blume gesagt” (to say something in a roundabout way) in mind, he created a witty mural that addresses this issue. Playing with the word “Blume”, which is German for flower, he painted an unimpressive image of a porcelain vase with flowers in it, with a subtle twist - the vase pattern was depicting arms such as tanks, bombers, grenades, as such. Simple and almost tacky at first, the image carries a deep, sensible story as most of work seen from this unique artist. —Sasha Bogojev
Photo credit by Hanna Sturm and Positive-Propaganda
