Stumbling Upon Magic
A parallel world or a gift of wonder?
Mows (pronounced ‘mouse’), Falling Knife Door, Minneapolis, 2022
@Mows510 is a guerrilla artist who has been installing tiny doors all over town for years. One thing he feels glad about is that officials seem to look past them. They are always in low, unassuming places. He said a police officer once spotted him in the middle of an installation and just smiled.
See
As I put a lot of miles in walking around the city and woods near my house, I sometimes get a little peek into a parallel magical world. When I come upon a gnome hiding in a tree or the well known elf house near a lake, I smile, then wonder how they got there and who keeps them up. The little mouse doors below, by Mows all sport a different look!
Mows, ilikeyou store, Minneapolis, 2022
"To be in places where people don't expect to find them, to provide a moment of interest or a moment of delight while people are walking along," Mows said.
Classic Red Mows Door
Yayoi Kusama door?
Check out these other fun installations I saw on a walk this week in Minneapolis.
Fairy Garden, Unknown Fairy, 2024, Minneapolis
Mr. Little Guy’s Doorway in Minneapolis, Ash Tree, unknown
Lake Harriet elf, Mr. Little Guy, moved into an ash tree in 1995. He keeps up on correspondence with those who leave notes for him (about 1500 a year)
“We all need to do something that makes the world a little better.” Mr. Little Guy
Gnome tree near me, Unknown Gnome, Minneapolis
Say
What motivates guerrilla artists to create and leave behind figures like gnomes, fairies, and elves in public spaces?
How do these installations impact the local community or environment where they are placed?
What challenges might guerrilla artists face in creating and maintaining their anonymous art installations?
Do
Create a little magic for someone in your life!
This Tooth Fairy door is installed outside an Alaskan girl named Amelia’s bedroom door. The Fairy is her pen pal and often brings little gifts. In exchange, Amelia decorates the Fairy’s door for the season. Here it is on Halloween!
Make a fairy garden somewhere near the road or sidewalk.
Watch for small holes or nooks outdoors and tuck a little gnome there!
Read more about the Lake Harriet Elf.
About Mows
Street artist Mows510 is the anonymous creator of hundreds of whimsical mouse doors scattered around the Twin Cities area – and the world.
In real life, he's a dad and grandfather, a middle-aged tech worker who drives a Subaru and lives in the suburbs.
But under his alter ego, he's a street artist who scurries around town making anonymous guerrilla art installations, secretly attaching his sculptures to the walls of public buildings and local businesses.
He calls himself Mows510, and in a few short years and without any artistic training or experience, he's made a name for himself — not just in the Twin Cities, but around the world. His creations pop up everywhere, from Bali to Iceland.
Oddly enough, his street art has attracted almost universal approval. His simple sculptures are typically left unmolested by property owners and even city workers. The main question he gets from businesses: When are we going to get our own Mows510?
Maybe it's because Mows510's art is tiny and intentionally whimsical, designed to generate surprise and delight, inherently adorable rather than edgy.
After all, it's a mouse door. Continue…
Follow mows510 on IG
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