Rian Kasner’s mural 2285 South Main Street, South Salt Lake (photo by Chiana Rossiter)
Rian Kasner says that with their new mural, painted on the south side of Apex Brewing in South Salt Lake, they were inspired by how people would feel when they read the words, “Darling, you are a work of art.” The one-story mural features stenciled images of five dancers, each against a different colored background: lavender, pink, aqua, crimson and lemon yellow. “The dancers are energy, excitement, confidence, fun, and overall, just beautiful, just like you,” Kasner says.
A graphic designer and photographer who has been working professionally since 2017, Kasner began painting murals in 2019. Several have gone up in the Cedar City area, in a variety of locales, from a shipping container to a winery to Encircle Gallery’s St. George location. This is Kasner’s second mural in the Salt Lake City area and several more have been painted in other states.
“Darling, you are a work of art” was painted as part of South Salt Lake’s 2022 The Mural Fest. Kasner joined 10 other artists or artist collaborators to create murals in the downtown portion of South Salt Lake during the month of May.
Like much of Kasner’s work, this mural is inspired by a sense of inclusion and acceptance. “Do you realize how many things had to line up perfectly for YOU to exist?” Kasner asks. “No matter your race, your sexuality, your class, where you’re from, who your parents are, your limitations, your abilities, who YOU are; your mere existence is an original work of art. That is something worth celebrating. Something worth enjoying. Something worth being excited about. Something worth dancing about! I wanted this mural to put smiles on people’s faces, and let them enjoy existing.”
During the month of June we’ll be featuring articles on several murals and muralists in Utah. You can discover several for yourself by visiting our Art Lake City map.
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With our In Plain Site byline we feature publicly viewable art, both official and street art, throughout the state of Utah.
Categories: Art Lake City | In Plain Site | Visual Arts
