About the Work
The vision of Edny’s mural began with the most visible, physical parts of the 70-foot wide building wall: the closed doors, windows, and “No Trespassing” sign. To Edny, all of these features represent life obstacles we must overcome.
Edny’s work alludes to Plato’s Cave, where people are trapped in a cave because they don’t challenge or test their beliefs. The artist’s favorite moment in the mural is where the figures climb over these physical obstacles and reach the sun––a better place.
The mural is near Southside Elementary and Edny used a Matisse “cut-out” aesthetic, so that it’s child-friendly for the kids who visit from the school. The color scheme references the Bahamian gandy dancers in the making of the Henry Flagler’s railroad system, where The Underline is situated today.
Support
This work has been made possible through the generous support of Louis Wolfson, III and a matching grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Edny Jean Joseph
(b. 1997, Miami, FL)
Edny Jean Joseph is an American artist and designer born and raised in Miami, FL. While attending Miami Edison Senior High School, he participated in after school art programs and spent time working with Gabriel “GG” Gimenez as a studio and mural assistant. After graduating, he interned with artist Amanda Keeley at Exile Books, helping to organize their nomadic annual zine fair. He briefly attended New World School of the Arts, but left to create artwork outside of an academic setting.
Edny’s artwork often deals with historically volatile and traumatic experiences presented as beautiful imagery, using irony as a catalyst for introspection. He recognizes our current fixation on finger-scrolling and image consumption, and creates work that purposefully serves as an opportunity for pause and reflection.
