In honor of Nelson Mandela, whose 95th birthday was celebrated across South Africa and around the world this week, Shanghai-based artist Phil Akashi created a mural titled Tribute to Mandela in the Shanghai Graffiti Park. To make the monumental portrait of the icon, Akashi used a boxing glove dipped in black traditional Chinese ink paste to repeatedly imprint the Chinese character for “freedom” on the wall. The resulting image consists of 27,000 punches, symbolizing the 27 years Mandela served in prison.

JULY 19, 2013

Friday Links: A MURAL FOR MANDELA IN SHANGHAI

By Lauren Altman