like most democratic art forms, mural art taps into a particular live wire of the collective unconscious. in austin that "group id" if you will, surges from a particularly delirious and psychedelic wellspring.
take for instance the prevalent and re-occuring imagery of Mothra.
also known as "Mosura", this vastly over-scaled lepidoptera is generally considered to be the most mystical of all the giant monsters. among the kaiju, only Mothra has an active congregation of worshippers, and, most tellingly, appears to answer their prayers in a proactive and effective manner.
consider now, this mural painted on the side of the habitat for humanity warehouse along austin’s east fourth street.
Mothra appears in Her "silk moth" aspect, partially eclipsed by the earth. to the immediate right is madonna, in her "leather whore" aspect. madonna appears to be crooning to Mothra, worshipping the kaiju in a distinctly intimate matter. is Mothra hiding behind the earth coquettishly? is that a ghostly skyline around madonna’s knees? is madonna being elevated to the same over-scaled status as the kaiju?
now consider this mural, only a few blocks away, painted on the back of the taco factory:
here we see willie nelson standing in front of the rolisican flag. once more a musician is attempting to placate the fury of the giant moth, and here Mothra is less shy, leaning into willie nelson with what could be either amorous or murderous intent.
just off "the drag" in the "renaissance market" we find this mural:
here Mothra appears in Her "monarch" aspect, a butterfly type which signifies not only royalty, but for the tejano population of austin, the monarch butterflies’ epic and yearly journey between "el norte" and the homeland of mexico represent the migrations of the family and the return of the dead. notice that the foremost worshipper has so prostrated and defiled himself that he has removed his clothing and scored his skin with the letter "T", which represents the "terror" of judgement. he has also painted his face white in a practice similar to that seen in day of the dead festivals. the entire crowd of worshippers have arrayed their hands in the "sign of the antenna."
these, and many other examples, are only the first heralds of Her presence, as we all await the day when Mosura shall return and cleanse this land of its sin beneath Her fuzzy wings.