Korean American artist Zibezi’s mural to adorn Grammy Museum in Downtown LA

An artwork by Korean American artist Zibezi (Jae-hoon Jung) will be displayed on the exterior of the Grammy Museum in Downtown Los Angeles. The mural will be featured on the wall just to the left of the entrance, a spot previously graced by renowned artists like Colette Miller.

Zibezi, known for his drawing of the fictional character Da-song from the movie “Parasite,” was commissioned by the Grammy Museum in May to create this mural.

The artwork, which captures the free-spirited and colorful essence of K-pop and Los Angeles, will be unveiled on August 2. For security reasons, the piece was created digitally on an iPad and will be printed and displayed as a mural measuring 212 inches wide by 117 inches long.

The mural will occupy the space where Colette Miller’s “Wings” was once displayed, a popular photo spot for tourists.

“I drove by here during the pandemic and thought, ‘It would be so cool to have my painting up here,’ and it’s a dream come true,” Zibezi said in an interview with the Korea Daily on July 24.

Zibezi’s vibrant colors and playful icons, centered around his signature figures of a man and a woman facing each other, express the bright, energetic, and dynamic atmosphere of Los Angeles. In keeping with the K-pop theme, Korean words like “I love you,” “K-pop,” “Grammy,” and “idol” in various colors add a pop-art element.

“When Grammy saw the painting, they seemed to like it very much,” Zibezi said. “Especially when they heard the meaning of ‘idol’ in Korean, they were excited.”

Zibezi’s style, which playfully incorporates different stories into his free-flowing straight lines and curves, aligns with the Grammy Museum’s pursuit of unstructured beauty.

“I didn’t have many difficulties while working. I tried to incorporate all five of my favorite themes – love, patterns, self-portraits, characters, and abstraction – into one piece, and it worked out pretty well,” he said.

“I’ve loved doodling since I was a kid, and I still love it now when I’m older,” Zibezi added. “I’m looking for honesty, and the process of finding the innocence of a child and the innocence of another adult is what makes it so fascinating.”

Having moved to Los Angeles in 2020, Zibezi faced challenges during the pandemic but focused on his art and expanding his career.

“The Da-song’s painting from Parasite will also be exhibited in the Academy Museum’s director Bong Joon-ho exhibition early next year, and it will be on display for two years,” he said.

“If I had gone back to Korea during the pandemic, I wouldn’t have had these opportunities. I look forward to the future in LA, where I can see the true value of street art.”

BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]