NEW ORLEANS — If you try to think about all the unique brands that make New Orleans, New Orleans, you might have a hard time doing so. One local artist set out to give it a try. Anthony “Yo” Bryant said he wanted to create a conversation piece that made people feel a sense of nostalgia and a deep sense of pride. "Seaux 504eaux" did just that.
Bryant said, "It touches people's souls. It makes you soul search and makes you think about the old times and the times that we have evolved from."
The artwork features dozens of recognizable brands from across the city of New Orleans. When it was first released in June, the piece went viral, getting thousands of likes and shares on social media. He still can't believe the positive response.
"I'm still kind of taking it all in," he said.
With the success of "Seaux 504eaux," he naturally created another one to honor the city's deep-rooted love for our high schools.
"We’ve been to those high schools. We’ve been to those games, and it just takes you back. I just wanted to create another piece that was going to hit just as hard as 'Seaux 504eaux'," Bryant said.
His latest piece in the series, "What's the name of your school?" was inspired by a DJ Jubilee‘s song with that same name. The iconic song serves as a roll call for natives to show their schools' love.
Bryant said, "A lot of people didn't notice that I put a lot of the rival schools next to each other. That's a whole different conversation then."
Bryant said there can be so much negativity in the world. He wanted to encourage people to take a step back and feel. He also encourages other younger artist to lean into their creativity. As for what's next in his series, we will have to wait and see.
"I like to just spring it on them, so stay tuned," he said.
For info on the collection, click here.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.