"Start from Here" Mural (ASIAN ARCHITECTS / DESIGNERS / ARTISTS OF PHILLY)

This story is part of a series featuring Asian Architects / Designers / Artists of Philly. We will be highlighting incredible murals that are a part of Mural Arts Philadelphia, urban street art that is part of Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection or other collections, urban spaces that embody Asian culture, and buildings designed by some of the most renowned architects from around the world. We will be featuring short blog posts written by members of Urban Design Committee, as well as guest posts by Committee on the Environment, Environmental Justice subcommittee. Stay tuned for more!

The mural “Start from here” is amazing piece created by Isaac Tin Wei Lin in 2015 and is considered one of most prominent and visited murals in greater Philadelphia. Right there, next to the Convention Center, people gather together at the parking lot to take photos with the “most Instagrammable mural” in Philly. The artist's work is very eye-catching. Lin's work is a sophisticated combination of the delicate strokes of Chinese calligraphy with the modern aesthetics of street graffiti. The mural also has a visual relation to musical notations. The mural was created based on a collection of many of Lin's previous projects that bond together as a puzzle into a vibrant pattern. But the design of the mural is so much deeper than just elegant strokes of a brush. Variation of complementary colors connect to many national flags of immigrants who crossed the world for new life in the USA. This mural is an abstract celebration of many changed lives in a new country.  

Isaac Tin Wei Lin was born in 1976. With bachelor's degree from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island and an MFA from the California College of Art in Oakland, California. The artist continues his artistic exploration in Philadelphia, PA.

Photo by Sofia Brozo

Sources:

http://www.isaactinweilin.com/bio

https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Isaac-Tin-Wei-Lin/675C59B764EF265B

https://www.muralarts.org/artworks/start-from-here/

https://sideofculture.com/2020/12/mural-arts-philadelphia/