Kobe Bryant is gone. But muralists want to make sure his presence is still felt across L.A.
The 37-year-old artist gathered dozens of spray cans and headed to Studio City. On the side of an exotic car rental company along Ventura Boulevard, he began to paint the five-time NBA champion, biting his jersey, and his smiling 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Both looked skyward.
“For years this wall was just a local L.A. landmark that people enjoyed visiting. But with each note, each thank you, each moment of remembrance that is taped to the wall now, its meaning becomes more and more important in trying to help everyone heal,” said artist JC Ro, who has painted three murals of Bryant.
“Murals tell the story of their communities, the issues that affect us — whether it is social justice, equality and human rights — and of the people we love,” said Isabel Rojas-Williams, an art historian and mural expert.Within 24 hours of the fatal helicopter crash, businesses called on muralists to paint portraits of Bryant. In some cases, muralists sought out the walls themselves.
At Figueroa Street and Pico Boulevard in downtown L.A., across from the Convention Center, fans this week have made their way into a narrow alley where a mural of Bryant has stood untouched for five years. In L.A.'s Mid City, fans were descending on a new mural that had been painted on the side of Pickford Market. Created by Jules Muck, who goes by Muckrock, it shows a smiling Bryant and Gigi — short for Gianna. A vertical ribbon with the words “Kobe and Gigi, forever daddy’s girl” coiled next to the father and daughter.
Inside the Pickford Market, manager Mandeep Singh, 37, said of the mural: “We’re part of the community, and it should reflect that on the outside.On Monday, Muck painted a second mural of the father and daughter on the exterior of a marijuana dispensary on Pico Boulevard. People walked in to thank employees for the artwork. It was a reminder, one Angeleno said, of “what could have been and what was.
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