Photos By Gail
The serendipitous discovery of this Rihanna mural, located in the industrial Arts District of Downtown LA adjacent to the newly reconstructed Six Street Bridge, occurred when Geoffrey and I arrived at the Luna Luna Art Amusement Park exhibit and spotted it from across the parking lot. Although we were quite a ways away from it, I just had to walk over for a closer look.
The amazing likeness of the singer, by Los Angeles-based, Korean street artist Royyal Dog aka Chris Chanyang Shim, went up in early 2017 and — though a bit faded from exposure — it still looks great.
Entitled Peace To You, the mural depicts Rihanna in a traditional Korean outfit, with flowers in the background and Korean writings that translate to a verse in the bible by Samuel 25:6: “Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.”
The artist wanted to give back to the community as a thank you for accepting him and making him feel welcome. For his love for Hip Hop music he chose Rihanna, because she came from nothing and became a strong and successful woman. The pale pink flower to her left (right in this photo) is a sign of strength in the Korean culture.
In this mural, Shim emphasizes the harmony and direction of our multicultural society, veering away from racism and discrimination.