MAHWAH, NJ (June 1, 2021): Volvo Car USA has partnered with renowned Brooklyn artist and architect Yazmany Arboleda to imagine a sustainable future for the borough through hand painted, larger-than-life mural installations in six diverse neighborhoods ranging from Greenpoint to Gowanus.
The murals portray Arboleda’s vision of what each neighborhood could look like in 2030, the same year Volvo Cars has committed to going fully electric, within the outlines of zero or low-emission Volvo electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Each installation was inspired by the artist’s more than 20 years of living and working in Brooklyn and will also be available to view digitally at the Volvo Cars of Brooklyn store, set to reopen in Industry City in the Fall of 2021.
With a background in social consciousness and a passion for climate issues, Arboleda’s murals incorporate scenes and visual elements unique to each neighborhood and reflect an optimistic outlook with green energy solutions that make a positive impact on the Earth, including:
On display today, the murals were created together with Brooklyn-based Colossal Media and may be viewed in Greenpoint (at North 14th Street & Wythe Avenue), Williamsburg (at North 7th Street & Kent Avenue), Domino Park (at Kent Avenue & South 3rd Street), Gowanus (at 3rd Avenue & 3rd Street), Cobble Hill (at Degraw Street & Columbia Street) and the Brooklyn Navy Yard (at Flushing Avenue & Washington Avenue).
“Volvo and I share a share a deep passion and sense of responsibility for creating a more sustainable world and leading others to follow suit,” said artist Yazmany Arboleda. “I’ve spent many years living and working in Brooklyn, so this is a very personal project for me. Partnering with a brand that is willing to go big and bold in terms of protecting the environment and moving others to do better inspired me to create something that will harness optimism for a greener future.”
As a human-centric brand, sustainability has become as important as safety and is key to Volvo Cars’ long-term business ambitions. Volvo has announced a goal to be climate neutral by 2040, and to help achieve that, the company will only sell fully electric vehicles by 2030.
“The future Yazmany has imagined in his murals aligns with our ambition for a sustainable world powered by electric cars,” said Janique Helson, Head of Brand Marketing at Volvo Car USA. “Giving Brooklynites a tangible vision for the future also aligns them with the brand and our core values.”
To learn more about the inspiration behind each mural and our Brooklyn retailer location, click here.
About Volvo Car USA
Volvo Car USA LLC, (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCUSA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology, and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States. For more information, please refer to the VCUSA media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us.
About Yazmany Arboleda
Yazmany is a Colombian American artist based in New York City. An architect by training, Yazmany’s practice focuses on creating “Living Sculptures,” people coming together to change their world through co-creation. Over the past two decades he has created public art projects with communities in India, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Spain, Colombia and the United States. He believes that art is a verb.
He is currently the Public Artist in Residence (PAIR) for NYC’s Civic Engagement Commission (CEC). He is also the artist in residence for the Community Arts Network. He has collaborated with Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and BRIC in Brooklyn among others. He has served as the artist in residence at IntegrateNYC, as the associate director of communications for Artists Striving To End Poverty, and is a cofounder of the Artists As Citizens Conference. He has lectured at UNC, MIT and LPAC about the power of art in public space.
