Bright Walls Announces Surprise Mural

The final Bright Walls artist, Mantra, stands at the base of his planned mural.  Photos by Bart Hawley, JTV.

(October 25, 2022 12:38 PM) The Bright Walls Mural Festival, known for unveiling surprises during the annual Festival,  introduced another surprise today with the arrival of mural artist Youri Cansell (aka Mantra) who began work on the 75th and final mural of Bright Walls.

Mantra, from Metz, France was planning to participate in this year’s “The Finale”, but a delay in obtaining his Visa documentation resulted in the postponement of his mural.

According to Bright Walls Co-Director Clay McAndrews, the artist’s travel issue was known prior to The Finale and the Festival decided to host Mantra when his schedule allowed.

Mantra is especially fascinated by entomology, the world of insects. Mining memories of his childhood garden in France, he now paints exquisite murals, often of moths and butterflies, on urban surfaces where these beings are seldom seen in the wild.  

Mantra told JTV News he is planning a giant butterfly mural and is modeling his subject after a butterfly species common in Jackson.  Mantra said his last huge butterfly was painted on a building in Germany in 2018, but has created dozens of murals of other subjects in the time since.  Mantra intends to leave the remnants of an old bank advertising sign that is still barely visible on the side of the building.

The final mural is located on the south side of the Luce & Associates building, 131 S. Mechanic Street.  The giant chrome and yellow dog mural by Bikismo is on the north side of the building.

Mantra anticipates the mural will take three days to complete, but noted that rain in the forecast may cause delays.