Waves for Change

Jillian Talarczyk, Founder & Artistic Director of the Madison Public Art Project

I recently spent time with Madison’s most in-demand muralist, Audifax. Our days together raced by while Audi, as she encourages her friends to call her, painted her newest commission, a site-specific mural entitled Riding Waves. Despite the intense installation schedule, we found time to chat about life, what it’s like to be a female street artist today, her passions, and why she values meditation in both her life and artistic practice.

Working as an arts administrator is very rewarding, and I am fortunate to work with many talented artists, but there is something truly special about Audi. Without having financial support to attend art school, she is a self-taught muralist, painter, and sculptor. Her name, which means “hearing truth,” is a holdover from the years she spent as a DJ. One of the truths she heard early on was an inner voice encouraging her to “be an artist.” Since childhood she enjoyed painting and was always drawn to working in large format as she grew up. After her time living in Milwaukee, she was invited to paint in Barcelona. It was creating those murals in Spain she experienced an epiphany: when painting, she felt alive and inspired! The passion she found in those large murals abroad has continued to fuel her artistic oeuvre since returning to the Midwest now working as a professional muralist.

Audi’s sincerity and passionate energy resonates throughout the waves of this mural. For this ambitious project she showed up on site each day fearless and excited to tackle the most unique “canvas” of her career to date connecting six individual pillars into a 360-degree artistic expression. Over our days together, I witnessed Audi transform an underutilized site into a vibrant space filled with color, and life, that also conveys an important message. While the mural is reminiscent of the “Great Wave” by Hokusai, it was also inspired by the nearby waters of Lake Monona. The swirling waves of her stunning handpainted mural serve as a metaphor bringing attention to the issue of mental health equity in our society. Painting wave after wave, Audi sought to breakdown the pervading stigma surrounding mental illness. The mural, which was unveiled to the community during Mental Health Awareness Month earlier this May, strives to destigmatize mental illness and bring attention to our collective mental health, while looking to a more equitable future.

What a week! Each new wave that took shape reminded me of the power of public art. I am so grateful to our Sponsors for their support to realize this project, and hope this important mural encourages everyone who rides by to reflect on the interconnectedness of our community, and their own mental health journey for many years to come!

This permanent mural can be viewed driving down the Monona Drive exit ramp, located under the 12/18 Beltline Highway in Monona, Wisconsin.

For more information on Riding Waves please visit: madiosnpublicartproject.com.

Connect with Madison Public Art Project on Instagram at @madisonpublicartproject.