Candy Corn in Iraq

The Wooster Collective points out this cute bit of street art... wholly unremarkable, except for the fact that it was placed in the middle of an Iraqi war zone.

The artist, Matthew Rodriquez, explains:

about a year ago me and my dad traveled to iraq too move my grandmother to the united states. it was just to dangerous for her to stay around all that violence. on the way we pulled over on the international highway to present these candycorns on a date to the passer byers. The main rule when traveling on the international highway is to travel as quickly as you can.

I think this can be one of the truly special things about street art: small flourishes that can inject a magical joy in the viewer even in the middle of nightmarish surroundings. I don't think Iraq would necessarily be a better place if there were more anthropomorphic candy corns holding hands, but I like to think it just might be.

Catching Up With Matthew Rodriguez [Wooster Collective]