Mantra: Lifespan
September 20, 2024 - March 2, 2025 AdmissionLIFESPAN: ART BORN IN A MOMENT AND IMMORTALIZED IN TIME
The image of the elusive butterfly suggests to us the briefest lifespan, but is it? Through scientific study we know that butterflies naturally enter states of hibernation, sometimes for several years, to prolong their own existence. Most of them migrate, thousands of miles like the Monarch, looking for a more favorable climate. Yet, in our coexistence, human beings impact those life cycles, threatening the butterfly’s survival to extinction.
In this context, this exhibition asks profound questions about the fragility of life, and explores what the butterfly’s ability to prolong time in the face of danger can teach us about our relationship with the natural world. By encapsulating the briefest moment in time, the butterfly becomes simultaneously a field study and an artwork – life as it happens, yet also immortalized for wonder and contemplation.
“Inspired by a lifelong curiosity about the living and a quest to observe the full reality of natural moments, my art is deeply personal and contemplative. I do not seek to give people an interpretation or a representative concept to wrestle with – rather to enter the moment with me and have their own experience. As a painter, I am crystallizing my scientist’s observations in the field into art. The artistic expression exists to ask how we preserve these fleeting moments in an urban, post-industrial setting, and how they question our notion of time.”
-Youri Cansell
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Born in Metz, France, in 1987, Youri Cansell, internationally recognized as Mantra, is a consummate artist and naturalist. Equally skilled at depicting both humans and animals, Mantra exhibits a special fascination with entomology—the world of insects. Drawing inspiration from his childhood garden in France and his adventures around the globe, he now creates exquisite paintings and murals, often featuring moths and butterflies, on canvas and cityscapes. With acute sensitivity to his surroundings, Mantra works to create organic relationships between his subjects and their environments. His renderings of infinitely varied species are spectacularly beautiful and scientifically accurate to the smallest detail. Significantly, he frequently represents these creatures on large facades as if they were lifeless specimens showcased in an exhibition case—a poignant commentary on the alarming decline in biodiversity.
From upscale architectural complexes in New York City to rural community projects and prominent institutional buildings in South America, Mantra’s public art finds its place amidst diverse urban backdrops. His remarkable proficiency in “trompe l’oeil” techniques, paired with his passion for nature and human experience, not only enlivens cities across the world but also draws attention to critical global concerns such as climate change and the urgent need to raise awareness of and preserve natural ecosystems. When he is not immersed in artwork at his studios in Mexico City, Mantra engages in explorations and collaborates with researchers in the field of entomology worldwide.
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This exhibition is curated by Justkids.
Justkids is an award-winning art consulting firm specializing in design, curatorial, and production services for creative place making and public art. With over a decade of experience and a broad international network of leading contemporary artists and curators, Justkids helps diverse urban players—including cities, architects, and institutions—to drive culture and create memorable art encounters for varied communities and audiences. Since 2018, Justkids has collaborated with Mantra and accompanied his career on some of his major projects in the United States and Europe.