Colombian-born artist Yazmany Arboleda is a globe-trotter — literally and figuratively.
For the past year, the NY-based multimedia artist has been traveling the world and handing out tens of thousands of bio-degradable balloons to morning commuters, part of an ongoing series titled “Monday Morning.” Each person who accepts a balloon is tasked with holding onto to it until they reach their place of work. As a result, Arboleda creates a sort of crowd-sourced “living sculpture,” compelling viewers to question the true source and ownership of art.
So far, he has staged giveaways of orange balloons in India, green balloons in Japan, and yellow balloons in Kenya, bringing smiles and color to commuters starting off their work weeks.
In the lastest iteration of his project, Arboleda is heading to Kabul, Afghanistan to hand out ten thousand pink balloons. This time, however, the project not only relies on crowds to disperse the balloons, it is also crowd-funded, leaving it up to global citizens to carry out the work of art from start to finish. On the website We Believe in Balloons, anyone can buy a balloon for a dollar and inscribe a personal message that will be included with the balloon when it is passed out.
Last night, we stopped by brand new Lower East Side art space Ludlow Studios to celebrate the project, which will be kicking off in Kabul in mid-May, alongside supporters. Check out a few photos below, and make sure to keep tabs on Yazmany Arboleda’s work here.