Iconic NoDa mural painted over in what artist calls an “unfortunate accident”
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In what the artist is calling an “unfortunate accident,” a painting company covered over a beloved NoDa mural last week, mistaking the public art for another work on the other side of the building.
Zoom out: If you’ve driven or strolled through NoDa in the last five years, you’re probably familiar with the big, colorful “Bloom” mural, splashed across the brick building on North Davidson and 35th Street that houses businesses like Pura Vida Worldly Art.
- Stella Artois commissioned local artist Osiris Rain to paint the wall art in 2017 as part of an ad campaign, the Observer reported last week. When the beer maker’s six-month lease ended, Rain revised the mural to include lotuses.
- On any given day in NoDa, plenty of passersby would stop to take photos in front of it.
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What’s happening: Last Tuesday, the painters, who were commissioned to cover a DC Comics mural on the opposite side of the building, accidentally painted over “Bloom,” Rain posted on Instagram. A few days later, someone spray painted: “Nice mural. Shame if someone painted over it” onto the wall.
- Right away, neighbors and other community members reached out to Rain concerned.
Why it matters: The incident underscores Charlotte’s growing affinity for locally made wall art that’s cropping up across town. Over time, murals become key pieces of neighborhoods, even if they are corporate-sponsored.
- Ally sponsored the DC Comics mural, which local artist Abel Jackson completed at the end of last year.
- Bojangles also commissioned artist Dammit Wesley in 2021 to paint its new Bo’s Chicken Sandwich on a wall also in NoDa, on 36th. That wall space is up for lease again.
Over the weekend, Rain covered the “Bloom” wall again with a light turquoise color and a fresh message. He’s adding a new mural to the wall next month. “You are beautiful. You are loved. Mahalo NoDa,” Rain wrote.
“This was an unfortunate accident, but sometimes [sh**] happens,” Rain posted on Instagram. “This wasn’t done out of any animosity or intent for harm. It just happened.”
Rain went on to say that the situation is poetic: The lotus symbolizes the idea of growth and change. That’s sort of the theme of NoDa, which as a neighborhood is in the midst of plenty of its own changes.
- Rain tells Axios that he’s still planning what his next mural will look like. The base will be around the lotus flower, and he’s hoping to extend the design up to the second floor of the building.
“What NoDa’s going to get is my love for NoDa because I’ve been a resident here for 26 years and I want to make sure that the ‘hood gets what they deserve and they deserve everything,” Rain says.