The Maser mural at MOCA in Virginia Beach.
The Maser mural, painted on the back of the MOCA building, faces I-264 in Virginia Beach.
The geometric patterns covering the exterior of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Virginia Beach came to bear through one artist’s vision and a community’s collaboration. The mural, created by Ireland-born artist Maser, is part of a series of works designed to pique the public’s interest in the city’s evolving art identity, says Alison Byrne, MOCA’s director of exhibitions and education.
“The mural is actually part of a three-part project we’re doing in partnership with the Virginia Beach Office of Cultural Affairs, and the ViBe Creative District,” Byrne explains.
The other two components are an entertainment stage, which Maser recently completed, and a three-dimensional sculptural installation, finished in the spring. Visitors may walk inside the sculpture and interact with it in a tangible, unusual way.
Sporting wide swaths of bright colors, lines and angular shapes, it’s no accident that the mural is painted on the back of the MOCA building facing I-264. “We wanted a huge, dynamic block of color and pattern to get people to look at our building, and to immediately know what we were all about,” says Byrne.
Maser, who is MOCA’s current artist-in-residence, painted the mural last summer. “Maser was on site with us for two weeks last July,” says Byrne. “Then, the MOCA staff and some artists here in Virginia Beach worked alongside him. It was really fun, other than the 90-degree heat.”
Byrne says Maser’s origin as a graffiti artist influenced the museum’s decision to work with him.
“He started doing it illegally—tagging walls, creating these secret projects—but now, he’s commissioned to make art all over the world,” explains Byrne. “Maser’s work is very much rooted in art history and design, but it’s also personable. People want to be close to it, they want to take a picture of it.”
While some art can be intimidating to the uninitiated, Byrne says the public has responded well to the mural; it has even served as the backdrop for a few wedding party portraits.
The museum hopes to keep the mural up for a few years, and then use the building as a canvas for “another amazing piece of art,” says Byrne.
