Incredible Graffiti Art Can be Found in Downtown Grand Rapids

So often we breeze through downtown Grand Rapids anxious to get to our destination and fail to look up...to "smell the roses" so to speak. We tend not to appreciate some of the either obvious or hidden art and beauty of our city.

An example of that obvious but sort of hidden beauty is the art work on the Hopson Flats building, across from Founders Brewery and the Central Station, bus station and transfer spot. It's a remarkable piece of Graffiti art.

When I think of graffiti, I think of kids with spray paint cans "tagging" something, maybe even defacing something, but not this.

This artist is Royyal Dog, Chris Changyan Shim from Korea. He is a graffiti street artist and was in town this past May and the first part of June to do this commissioned piece of work. His art is amazing and a must see if you haven't already. His website says:

 " His work is photorealistic murals of African American women in traditional Korean hanbok dresses and iconic rappers.  His paintings carry a message of global harmony and have been recognized for multiculturalism. His work can be seen around the world."

You are saying to yourself, how does he do that. It takes an amazing amount of planning and execution, and when you see the finished product you always say to yourself, It just can't be. But, it can, and it is, and it doesn't take him too long to complete a piece of work.

He also did another mural inside the Founders Tap Room which is equally amazing and also a must see.

There is a lot to be proud of in Grand Rapids especially our art scene. Check it out!