Jesse James
The London-based artist Lakwena recently took her talents to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The artist recently revealed a massive new mural on the floor of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park’s public basketball courts. The colorful mural includes the artist’s geometric motifs and patterns with basketball-related expressions. The court is filled with color and phrases including “see me shoot,” “make it rain,” and more.
At the center of the court is a line from the iconic poem, “Still I Rise,” by American poet and Arkansas resident Maya Angelou. The court reads: “bury me down / still I rise” and “watch me flower.” The artist released a statement regarding the mural. She stated: “This project in Pine Bluff was a chance to pick up from where I left off with that design in Fort Smith with Justkids in 2017. This piece continues on that trajectory of looking at growth and blessing in spite of adversity.”
Lakwena went on to add, “I was really excited to work in a place with a largely black demographic. It was nice to make an artwork for people that I have a connection to in that respect, especially at what feels like a very significant time for the black community. The piece is called “I’ll bring you flowers,” flowers are often used as a way of greeting, paying respect, and honor people, and I wanted to honor the community in Pine Bluff.” The mural was commissioned by the women-led global curator group Justkids and Arkansas organization OZ Art.
Take a closer look at the mural in the images and keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more from the art department coming very soon.
Photos via JustKids
