I recently came across the story of Catlanta, an anonymous 24-year-old studio art graduate who spends most of his free time in his living room floor working on the coveted wooden cat magnets that he leaves all over his Georgia community for others to find.
Catlanta's mission is simple: Every week he "gives birth" to a litter of new kittens that he drops all around the city (recent locations have included a Redbox machine outside of a CVS, at the zoo, or on a sign outside of a strip mall), before posting photographic clues on Facebook and Twitter as to where they can be found. He makes it clear that everything he leaves is meant to be taken and enjoyed, however, urges fans not to be greedy and only "adopt" one cat at a time.
Each Catlanta piece is beautifully unique in color and style, and to date he's created hundreds of the mini-wooden felines. For Easter, he whipped up some colorful bunny and egg-inspired creations, while past designs have included 90s Cattoons, Nyan Cat, and even a tribute to Atlanta hip-hop natives, Outkast.
One of the clues posted to find "Cowboy Kitty" in Beaumont, TX
Catlanta's recent travels have taken him out of Georgia on a brief tour through Texas, where at least one Beaumont resident was thrilled by her "Cowboy Kitten" find at a local Jack In The Box restaurant. Catlanta pieces occasionally go on sale through his Etsy shop - The Catlanta Adoption Agency - although from the looks of things, it hasn't been stocked for months.
When pressed to assign a deeper meaning to his work, Catlanta resists being analyzed, seemingly content with the idea of his work being likened to a giant game of cat and mouse. Last year he told CNN: "Having that participation with complete strangers, it just makes it fun, and that's really all that it comes down to. Just having fun."
If you live in Atlanta and want a chance at finding a one-of-a-kind Catlanta piece, follow his accounts on Facebook and Twitter for clues on where to look. Unlucky out-of-towners like me can also check out his Flickr page for images of past catty creations.
Via CNN / Beaumont Enterprise
Image credits: Twitter (@cat_lanta)
2 comments:
What a wonderful story. Really great that this artists gives the kitties to the public, so to speak.
Great pieces he's making there btw. Too bad he isn't leaving any of 'em in SF. :(
what a great idea! He is one generous guy and I sure wish I lived in Atlanta to find one (or two, or three)
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