Red Tail Hawk in Humacao, November 2018. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Belgian street artist ROA (previously) has been touring Puerto Rico painting his signature monochromatic menagerie around the island. Depicting both native creatures like parrots and seahorses and invasive species like lionfish, the massive pieces celebrate the region’s biodiversity and the biologists and conservationists working tirelessly to preserve it. Many of the murals are anatomical and juxtapose life and death, a recurring theme in ROA’s body of work and one that’s apparent in his most recent rendering in Isla de Cabras. Spanning 160 feet, the massive artwork positions a plump, wrinkled manatee alongside a lengthy skeleton.
The ongoing project has produced 15 murals so far and is a collaboration with Elegel Group. You can find out more about the impetus behind each animal on Instagram. (via Street Art News)
Manatee in Isla de Cabras, April 2021. Photog by Four Two Photography
Puerto Rican Parrot in Utuado, July 2019. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Octopus in Playa Escambron, July 2019. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Lionfish in Naguabo, June 2019. Photo by Pedro “Huck” Rosa, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Seahorse in Playa Escambron. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Snail in Aibonit, January 2019. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Monkey in Naguabo, November 2018. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Lizard in San Juan. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission
Tortuga. Photo by Edgardo Santiago, image courtesy of Taller 2C1, shared with permission