It took almost 200 spray paint cans and over 50 gallons of paint for Insane 51, an artist from Greece, to complete a 3D mural in just four days.
The mural is the latest addition that GNV Urban Art’s creator Iryna Kanishcheva arranged for. It cost about $10,000 for the materials and for flying the artist in from Greece. The mural was revealed to more than 50 people at the wall behind the Florida Theatre on West University Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
Local artists performed while others waited to talk to the 26-year-old mural artist. The first 35 guests received a free pair of 3D glasses to view the mural, said Kanishcheva, the 32-year-old founder and curator of 352walls, the first urban art project in North Florida.
Insane 51 said the latest Gainesville wall art was inspired by personal relationships, a recurring theme in his art. For the last few years, the artist said he’s been exclusively working with double exposure since he bought some 3D glasses and started working with the effect on his computer.
He said he believes the 3D effect has a bigger impact on viewers because it’s new to the human eye. He said he also works with spray paint, which makes this process easier.
“When I started showing them that I use 3D glasses to look at the mural and you have two different pictures in one, then everyone was amazed because they haven’t seen this on a wall before,” he said. “When people use the 3D glasses, they are experiencing something exciting.”
When selecting an artist for the project, Kanishcheva and Bill Bryson, the new owner for the Florida Theatre, were looking for someone who could work with the rough surface of the theatre’s wall, Kanishcheva said.
“Most of the artists, they can’t work with this kind of surface,” Kanishcheva said.
Alexandria Nong, 24, said she’s really into art. When Nong saw the mural with her 3D glasses, she smiled and gazed at it in awe.
“I think it’s really amazing,” Nong said. “You would have to be here, live in-person to be able to see it and capture the entire beauty of it.”
The 3D art mural at the wall behind the Florida Theatre on West University Avenue was revealed Sunday afternoon. It cost $10,000 to pay for the materials and the artist to fly in from Greece.
