After several weeks of work and 100 gallons of paint, the Momentary has unveiled “Context Shift,” an 11,000-square-foot mural by artist Carlos Rosales-Silva on the exterior walls of the Momentary’s parking garage. 

“Context Shift” is a composition by Rosales-Silva that highlights a core pillar of his work: how individuals interpret color as contextual. 

The vibrant colors on the mural are inverted to represent how context shifts; colors in the background on one side are in the foreground on the other side of the mural. The mirroring design of the mural is meant to shift perspectives on how the design elements blend together.  

Progress of the mural. Photo Courtesy of Carlos Rosales-Silva.

Rosales-Silva said the shapes are abstract combinations of architecture and landscape, two forms that are often categorized in an oppositional binary which does not exist. 

“The large shapes and fields of color are disorienting, vibrational, overwhelming, and ultimately exciting,” Rosales-Silva said. “The initial idea was that the space was so big, I could get really detailed. But the more I thought about it, the bigger it was, which means you can see it from very far away. Thinking about those big, bright colors and shapes began to be exciting to me.”

Rosales-Silva and his team of four assistants, Christine Yerie Lee, Cassidy Fritts, Edward Salas, and Armondo Rosales Rivero, worked to paint the mural for three weeks in June. “Context Shift” is the largest mural Rosales-Silva has painted to date. Previously, Rosales-Silva painted a 3,000-square-foot indoor mural, “Pase Usted,” for the San Antonio Museum of Art. 

The new mural at the Momentary, now the largest in Bentonville, continues to advance efforts to include art in everyday spaces in Northwest Arkansas. Since the initiative started, Bentonville has seen multiple installations of art across public spaces through partnerships with local organizations and establishments. “Context Shift” can now be viewed from the Momentary’s Green and at 8th Street Market.