This site-specific mural by Brooklyn-based artist duo FAILE, consisting of artists Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller, covers the back wall of the Pavillion. Walking the line between street and fine art practices, FAILE brings their innovative high/low mash-up of imagery sourced from billboards, advertising posters, and the street into this piece. There are several reoccurring themes in FAILE’s work such as the relationship between love and hate and peace and war. Influenced by Pop Art icons like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, the duo renders figures in the comic book style with recurring motifs reminiscent of work by contemporary street artist Shepard Fairey. FAILE has trademarked a distinct style that draws on themes and elements of appropriation, graffiti, and collage as viewed through a contemporary pop art lens.
FAILE has been producing work since 1992 and in recent years, been commissioned by the Mongolian Arts Council, built a seasonal installation at Times Square and completed a new installation in the atrium of the David H. Koch Theater in New York. Their work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Tate Modern (London), Galerie Ernst Hilger (Vienna), and Summerhall Museum (Scotland).