Photo: Justkids.art
French artist Mantra, whose real name is Youri Cansell, recently took on the most ambitious project of his career—a 35,000 square foot mural, which represents his largest project in scale to-date. By doing this, he has also created Miami’s largest rooftop mural, adding a pop of color to the city skyline and sending a message about nature with the help of the hyperrealistic butterflies found throughout his oeuvre.
Curated by Justkids Art Consulting, the mural is located on the roof of the Southeast Financial Center. In this composition, the rooftop is transformed into a trompe l’oeil masterpiece that evokes a specimen case containing over a dozen butterflies, including the endangered Miami Blue, native to South Florida. The piece took over 400 hours to complete and used 200 gallons of paint. Most impressively, Mantra worked exclusively with rollers, and fought the elements—such as strong winds and morning dampness from the ocean—in his pursuit for the desired level of detail.
“Butterflies have been a central subject in my work over the past years,” Mantra tells My Modern Met. “Beyond their symbolic connection to metamorphosis and the meanings humanity has attached to them, I see them as representations of the living in general. They reflect my fascination, attachment, and love for what we call nature. In my work, I try to reconnect humanity and nature and create a dialogue that emphasizes our place within a broader, interconnected world between both.”
The artist describes his creative process is a happy medium between the rational and the emotional, as he looks for balance between a scientific state of mind and a romantic vision of life. After all, Mantra’s work draws from observations that are then translated into art. “I compose from my personal documentation,” the artist says. “I travel very often on expeditions to observe nature and take lots of photographs that I use for my practice–and in some case I visit entomological collections to complete my research. I am attached to sharing the specimens as they are so I am painting them scientifically accurate to the last detail, reflecting their original colors, shapes, proportions and patterns.”
As a street artist, Mantra enjoys large-scale works for how they reflect his vision, as well as the challenges they bring. “Creating paintings on a monumental scale pushes me to surpass myself—dealing with unpredictable weather, physical effort, and the persistence required to complete such massive and time consuming project sometimes, much like an athlete,” he says. Through these murals, Mantra shares that he finds opportunities for expressing himself, engaging with public opinion, and contributing something meaningful for the community.
Ultimately, for Mantra, his art comes from a lifelong curiosity about nature and a desire to capture its raw, fleeting moments. “It’s personal and reflective,” he concludes. “I am not trying to give people a fixed message or concept to analyze—I would rather they step into the moment with me and experience it in their own way. I hope my work sparks questions about how we value and preserve these moments and encourage people to think about their relationship with nature and the living.”
French artist Mantra recently took on the most ambitious project of his career—a 35,000 square foot mural.
Photo: Justkids.art
By doing this, he has also created Miami’s largest rooftop mural, adding a pop of color to the city skyline.
Photo: Justkids.art
The mural stars the hyperrealistic butterflies that have long populated his oeuvre.
Photo: Justkids.art
Curated by Justkids Art Consulting, the mural is located on the roof of the Southeast Financial Center.
Photo: Justkids.art
In this composition, the rooftop is transformed into a trompe l’oeil that evokes a case containing over a dozen butterflies, including the endangered Miami Blue, native to South Florida.
Photo: Justkids.art
The piece took over 400 hours to complete and used 200 gallons of paint.
Photo: Justkids.art
Mantra worked exclusively with rollers, and fought the elements in his pursuit for the desired level of detail.
Photo: Justkids.art
Through these murals, Mantra shares that he finds opportunities for expressing himself, engaging with public opinion, and contributing something meaningful for the community.
Photo: Justkids.art
Ultimately, for Mantra, his art comes from a lifelong curiosity about nature and a desire to capture its raw, fleeting moments.
Photo: Justkids.art