Monster Smiles Win Strangers’ Hearts
December 31, 2008
Street artist’s public gifts say ‘everything will be alright’
SAN FRANCISCO - In recent days, little grinning monsters with bulging eyeballs have been spotted around San Francisco, from the benches of Yerba Buena Gardens to BART stations.
They are among the over 30 cartoon-inspired acrylic paintings Filipino street artist Bren Bataclan is leaving around The City’s public places for people to take from Christmas through Jan. 8.
Accompanying each painting are the words “Everything will be alright.” And as a way to uplift people’s spirits during the economic downtown, especially for those who recently lost their jobs, Bataclan is leaving his artwork at unemployment agencies and the financial district, as well as train stations and park benches.
The paintings are part of Bataclan’s “Everything Will Be Alright” series, a spin-off of his ongoing “Smile Boston Project.” When he moved to Boston from Ohio in 1995, Bataclan noticed the city was not as friendly as Ohio. To combat Boston’s dearth of smiles, in 2003 he began leaving paintings around public places for people to take with the attached note of “This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.”
“It sounds cheesy, but it’s one of the best ways I can help as an artist,” Bataclan said.
The new series, which debuted in Boston in November, was influenced by the current financial crisis, along with feedback from a New York woman who had picked up his painting.
“Her shop has been struggling for a while, but she felt encouraged to go on after finding one of my paintings,” Bataclan said.
Since the project’s inception, Bataclan leaves between five to 15 paintings each month.
“The first year I was a stalker - I hid behind bushes and took pictures,” Bataclan said. “These paintings were my little babies and I was concerned if people would like them.”
Since then, Bataclan has left over 450 paintings in more than 20 states and 20 countries, with plans to reach all 50 states and more countries in the world before the end of the recession. His goals are to bring smiles across the globe, bring art to people who usually do not visit art exhibits and give paintings to people who may not be able to afford original artwork.
Bataclan hand draws each painting, with visible pencil marks that allow the viewer to see his work. Painted in cheery colors, his characters often share the signature look of one bulging eyeball paired with a smaller one. Bataclan draws his inspiration from the Philippines’ tropical, vibrant nature and his love for robots, especially the Japanese Diecast robots.
Over the years, Bataclan’s works have garnered much attention. Avid fans in Boston, armed with Twitter texting technology, have followed his steps during art drop-offs in hopes of snatching one of his paintings.
Bataclan’s project inspired director David Tames to produce the Smile Boston Project documentary, winning awards at the Woods Hole Film Festival and Northampton Independent Film Festival in Massachusetts in 2007. Gingko Press will soon release a book about Bataclan’s work.
A full-time artist, Bataclan is involved with art exhibits, including upcoming East Coast ones, mural projects and commissioned works, with schools, universities and hospitals among his clients.
Born in the Philippines, Bataclan moved to the United States in 1981. A Daly City native, he graduated in design from UCLA in 1993. After receiving his master’s degree in computer animation from the Ohio State University in 1995, he moved to Boston to teach and eventually joined the dot-com world. When the bust left him unemployed, he reignited his childhood love of painting. The Smile Boston Project, something he thought would be temporary, has turned out to be a full-time job.
“This is my life and I leave paintings,” Bataclan said.
For more information, bataclan.com
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well these gift artist are really gold’s child.