LYNN ―The city and outdoor community art organization Beyond Walls invited Colombian artist DAST UNO to create a mural on the tower of the Lynn YMCA with the purpose of depicting city life, beaches, water, landscapes, and city culture.
DAST UNO began painting murals in 2002, then received a degree in design in 2007 before transitioning to painting murals full time in 2012.
He has traveled to Miami, Vancouver, Brazil, Mississippi, Peru, Ecuador, and more to paint murals. While most of his work is in South America, DAST UNO said he loves being able to travel, meet new people, and learn about different communities through his work.
During his time in Lynn, he worked with two local artists, Anna Dugan and Mike Grimaldi, to complete his work, which he said is the largest mural he has ever done.
“I am happy and thankful for the opportunity (in Lynn),” DAST UNO said.
With the mural at the YMCA being his largest, DAST UNO said it is now his favorite mural that he has painted.
The completion of the mural also saw the assistance of a group of students from the YMCA who were able to paint with DAST UNO during one of the seven days he spent working on it.
“I really enjoyed my time here, and meeting people in the community,” DAST UNO said. “I hope I can come back to Lynn (in the future).”
One of DAST UNO’s favorite parts about painting murals, he said, is that every project has something different, representing a different idea or community. He said he likes the change and that each mural he does has its own meaning, which is one of the reasons he said he hopes to paint murals for the rest of his life.
This project was one of three new murals that Beyond Walls brought to the city, in an effort to build on its work with local youth.
The other murals were done by artists Cristhian Saravia, who is known as Golden305, and Lynn’s own Jah’Nyah Spencer, who is a recent graduate of Raw Art Works, another arts-enrichment organization within the city.
