Artist: Ernesto Maranje
A Cuban-American artist whose work explores flora, fauna, and biological evolution. He discovered his passion for art while serving in the Coast Guard and has since painted large-scale murals globally, including in Ukraine, Iraq, and Jordan.|

Artwork Title: Azeban

Material/Creation: Exterior acrylic house paint and aerosol/spray paint on a 67-foot-tall exterior brick wall, combining brushwork for textured relief, spray gradients, and digital projection/phone app overlays for aerial grid scaling.

Year Created: October 2022

Location: The exterior rear wall of Thornes Marketplace (150 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060), overlooking the Armory Street parking lot.

Meaning: The piece explores the intricate relationships, symbiosis, and evolution of living systems by blending flora and fauna into an urban environment. It takes its name from Azeban, the trickster raccoon in indigenous Algonquian folklore. Centered around a large purple raccoon, the design includes yellow weaver birds, which Maranje uses as a recurring metaphor for the artists/composers who visually "weave" nature (branches, leaves, and wildlife) together.

Links:

• Ernesto Maranje Official Project Page: Azeban at Thornes Marketplace

• Public Art Archive: Azeban Listing

• City of Northampton Arts & Culture Public Art Entry