Walala Pump And Go
“I love this canvas – it was exciting to do something really bold, that stands out on such a big scale. We had a great team of people working with us – most of them were locals from Fort Smith who came to help.” – Camille Walala
Invited by the art collective Justkids, which orchestrates public art interventions in unexpected locations, Camille travelled to Fort Smith, Arkansas, for the 2019 edition of urban art festival The Unexpected. The project aimed to bring together the local community to transform a disused 1950s gas station into a giant eruption of colour and pattern, turning an otherwise unremarkable intersection into a point of interest. Camille Walala and Justkids proved a perfect partnership – both are fuelled by the desire to use public art to encourage people to look again at their everyday environment and to create a sense of community.
With the help of a team of local volunteers, the studio gave a previously redundant space at the crossroads of Grand Avenue and 11th street a second lease on life as an urban landmark – a visual ode to joy in yellow-on-pink polka dots and zebra stripes.
“After five years of curating diverse visual projects in Fort Smith, I learned that a big part of good place-making is creating community and a sense of re-discovery of the beauty that is there, in the city, all along, and Camille’s work does just that.” – Charlotte Dutoit, Justkids curator
Press Links
“Justkids + Camille Walala’s Colorful Gas Station” in Cool Hunting
“This gas station was just another abandoned building. Now it’s eye-popping op art” in Fast Company
“Check out the eye-catching gas pump bringing visitors to an Arkansas town” in Lonely Planet
“An Arkansas gas station gets a colourful makeover courtesy of Camille Walala” in The Spaces