JOHN DOMINÉ
Photographer
When life gives us lemons, we better make a delicious and refreshing lemonade to share with everyone, and that is what John Dominé did during the collective challenge we experienced – and still are. John sought opportunities to expand his Creative Soul during the pandemic, reinventing how art in murals is interpreted. Oh, and did he reinvent it!
When we face drastic and abrupt upheavals, our perspective can shift to change our lifestyles—feeling cornered, and vulnerable to the unknown, pushes us to make important decisions. During these challenging times, John made one of the most magical decisions an artist can make: Fill the world with more art.
John Dominé is a professional photographer and mural art marionettist. His passion for photography started before digital cameras were invented. John has traveled the world capturing stunning shots, mainly of mural art. He has a way of showing the natural state of the moment, bringing out the artist’s genuine emotions and the sentiment behind the mural.
During the lockdown, John’s plans were locked up with him in his apartment in NYC. Thankfully, John was encouraged by his friend, Kalin Talbott, to participate in Tussen Kunst & Quarantine as well as the Getty Challenge. These projects encouraged John and Kalin to create art with items found around the house, sparking the idea of representing mural art.
After completing the challenges and still unable to travel across continents and fill his camera with smashing photos, John carried on with his friend’s brilliant idea of bringing the mural art to his home. How? By becoming the art in the murals himself as a marionette.
Choosing from his extensive gallery of murals from across the world, John decided to feature 365 artists in 365 days, including My Dog Sighs, Fin Dac and ROA. Initially, John used his artistic skills and painted the murals on his face, sharing a side-by-side picture of his recreation and a photo of the mural.
He then started giving the murals a broader representation using recycled boxes from all the online shopping that burst during the lockdown. John created marionettes out of the boxes to make the murals interactive.
To add more life to the mural, John puts on an off-the-chain performance, lip-syncing to songs that he feels have a connection with the street art he’s representing. His performances are outstanding, theatrical, and fun to watch, not to mention how similar he comes to the art in the murals. The videos are sure to awaken the energy of joy and make us carry a smile throughout the day. His current project, My Street Art Opera 2.0, is phenomenal and worth watching.
John is giving an honorable representation to all street artists and their alluring murals. He has received positive feedback from many of the artists he has featured through this beautiful project. He helps us distract from the chaos that our world is going through, and he inspires us to lighten up and keep creating, for it can be therapeutic.
“Think outside the box!” John is encouraging us to try new things and not be afraid to take chances and make mistakes.
As we keep taking action, we keep evolving, and our art keeps transcending, and that’s how we help our world become a better place: when we are true to our Creative Souls and allow creativity to flow.
