Spaces of Hope
7:57 PM
Spaces of Hope (2016)
Location: The Greenway Wall at Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
“Spaces of Hope,” a temporary mural by Mehdi Ghadyanloo and also one of Boston’s latest public works of art, is a piece that aims to bring positivity and hope to a passerby’s life.
In an interview between The Boston Improper and Mehdi Ghadyanloo, Ghadyanloo states that he tries his best to make public art positive and inspirational. He says,
“they are forced to see this artwork because it’s in their streets, in their parks, so definitely it should be positive. … I think that now when we turn on the TV or when we go to social media, everything that we can read is bad news—about the Middle East, about bombings everywhere in Europe. You know, everywhere. What you need is art to balance your life. When you can’t change something, when you’re not president, it’s good to be an artist—to help people, to give them a moment of balance between lots of bad news.”
Although the mural itself is impressive, I found that Ghadyanloo's words left the biggest impression on me. The last sentence was my favorite; it brings to light a new perspective on art, one I've never had before.
In the mural, there are hundreds of people lined up on a staircase, each holding a small, red balloon. At the bottom of the staircase, everyone is shrouded in shadows and holding a dull, red balloon. I believe that this symbolizes negative emotions such as regret, sadness, or fear. Meanwhile, at the top of the staircase, there is more light, as well as huge, bright red balloon. This depicts the end of the journey where the people are at a point where they can finally let go of all of their worries. When taking his interview with The Boston Improper into account, it seems likely that Ghadyanloo painted "Spaces of Hope" to represent a person's journey from hopelessness to hope.
For those who would like to visit “Spaces of Hope,” it is located on the Greenway Wall in Rose Kennedy Greenway’s Dewey Square Park in Downtown Boston.
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