The Queen City Procession mural

Public Art in Buffalo - Table of Contents ........................... Hertel Avenue - Table of Contents

The Queen City Procession mural
Revolution Gallery (online March 2021)
1419 Hertel Avenue | Buffalo NY

On this page, below:

Queenseyes, "Joe Vollan: The Queen City Procession"

Bruce Adams, "Fit for a Queen City"

Photos

Partial reprint

Joe Vollan: The Queen City Procession
By Queenseyes
Buffalo Rising, September 10, 2020

As a way to pay tribute to the Halloween season, Revolution Gallery is in the midst of creating a hauntingly beautiful mural on Hertel Avenue.

The mural, titled The Queen City Procession, is being painted on the back side of the gallery (North Park Avenue) by nationally exhibited pop-surrealist artist Joe Völlan. Völlan specializes in this sort of otherworldly subject matter, which features forest animals (cats, foxes, crows), skeletons, etc., in folkloric storybook settings. This particular work will include “an ever-watching Buffalo, The Richardson Towers, and Shark Girl.”

As much as his works are considered eerie and bizarre, there is something very endearing about his style and composition. This mural is filled with folk-fantasy Children of the Forest fairytale style depictions that will be the perfect selfie station come Halloween.

“Joe has painted murals in his hometown of Seattle, WA., and now, residing with his two sons in Buffalo, NY, Joe is excited to create this piece – which faces North Park Avenue – as his first ever mural on the East Coast!” – Revolution Gallery

Personally, I’m very excited to have another artist of this caliber producing public works in Buffalo. Völlan’s paintings have been exhibited at group and solo shows at Revolution Gallery in the past, and now we’re seeing the next

The mural is being funded by the sale of limited edition prints, and other smaller levels of sponsorship/reward incentives.

Partial reprint

Fit for a Queen City
By Bruce Adams
Buffalo Spree, September 21, 2020

Murals have become ubiquitous around town in recent years, but a new one now in progress stands apart from the crowd. Work on The Queen City Procession by Joe Völlan is underway. Völlan is a nationally known artist/illustrator with a distinctly eerie style he calls “doom folk art.” The mural is curated by Revolution Gallery, a venue known for its dark and otherworldly pop surrealist vibe. The painting is located on a wall behind the gallery at 1419 Hertel Avenue, with access from North Park Avenue.

Most of Völlan’s works are set in a postapocalyptic factory town, perhaps not unlike Buffalo in our darkest imagination. His imagery, which is dominated by anthropomorphized animals and skeletons, seems derived from children’s book illustrations—think Roald Dahl’s Mr. Fox via celebrating Day of the Dead [Cf., Nicole Cherry's Day of the Dead].

Pop surrealism, which dates to the 1960s, is associated with lowbrow art, having its roots in hot-rod culture, underground comics, punk, graffiti, and heavy metal, among other influences. Though now over fifty years old, the populist style has a strong following among young people, partly because it benefits from a continuous influx of fresh cultural references.

Völlan works in a meticulous illustrative style, and though the mural is on rough brick, the artist is not forgoing detail. Unlike many murals, this one will be equally viewable up close as from a distance. “This is Völlan’s first ever outdoor mural,” says Revolution Gallery co-owner Maria Pabico LaRotonda, “and it’s the first one he’s done in northeastern United States.” The plan is to unveil the finished work on October 30.

Most commissioned public murals lean toward safe but dazzling subject matter. Völlan’s work strives for a darker, more sardonic tone, in sync with Revolution Gallery aesthetics. When finished, the painting will depict a fairytale parade of creatures, some of which make recurring appearances in the artist’s work, and a couple uniquely familiar to Buffalo (Shark Girl makes an appearance).

Revolution Gallery is asking the public to help fund the Völlan mural through donations. Contributions of any amount are appreciated, but certain price points earn rewards. Those giving $250 or higher will receive a limited-edition archival print of the work, photographed by Buffalo Spree photographer, KC Kratt.