Latest news with #SloeMotions
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
North Hollywood mural lauds Dodgers' Kiké Hernández ‘for standing up for what is right'
Dodgers utility player Kiké Hernández was not born and raised in Los Angeles. A North Hollywood mural seemingly inspired by the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native's stance on immigration sweeps shows that doesn't matter. Hernández began a June 14 Instagram post by stating, 'I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own.' Local artist Louie Palsino has cemented the second part of that statement in a new mural on the side of the Noho Tires & Wheels building on the 5600 block of Lankershim Blvd. It features Hernández's image surrounded by the words 'Born X Raised' and 'Los Angeles.' Hernández said plenty more in the post, which seems to have inspired Palsino. The two-time World Series champion expressed support for his adopted city's immigrants and dismay at how many of them were being treated in a series of sweeps by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The sweeps in Los Angeles have sparked protests locally and elsewhere in the country. 'I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city,' Hernández wrote. 'Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.' Under the name Sloe Motions, Palsino has painted a number of high-profile murals, including one in the Fashion District of Kobe and Gianna Bryant that was vandalized, restored, then vandalized again all within the last few months. He declined to discuss the Hernández mural for this story, instead directing The Times to a statement he posted about it on Instagram last week. 'Thank you @kikehndez for standing up for what is right and for Los Angeles,' Palsino wrote. 'this ain't a political post or anything to stir up any government agenda to divide us. this is just paying homage to standing up for what is right and a real over government.' Palsino painted the Hernández mural on a building that already featured two of his other Dodgers-themed pieces — one of legendary broadcaster Vin Scully on an adjoining wall and one of iconic Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela on the gate in front of the garage's driveway When the gate is pulled open, a split image of Valenzuela and Hernandez is created. Hernández has been a Dodgers fan favorite since his first stint with the team in 2015-2020. In 2017, he hit three home runs, including a grand slam, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs to help send the Dodgers to the World Series. He signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent after the Dodgers' 2020 World Series championship, but returned to L.A. in a July 2023 trade. Hernández hit .262 in 54 games with the Dodgers that season, helping him earn a one-year, $4-million contract for 2024. Last postseason, Hernández was a key member of another Dodgers championship team. He hit one of the Dodgers' two solo home runs in a 2-0 win against the San Diego Padres in the decisive Game 5 of the NL Division Series. He then contributed seven hits and four RBIs in the NLCS against the New York Mets and five hits against the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series.
Los Angeles Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
He created the beloved Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural. L.A. taggers keep defacing it. ‘It hurts me'
Weathered and bumpy, the wall hidden among the surplus clothing stores of the Fashion District was hardly the perfect canvas. But artist Sloe Motions' vision for the memorial mural in honor of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna following their deaths in 2020 brought the stretch of Main and 14th streets to life with vibrant hues of purple and gold. One of the most well-known Kobe murals across Southern California, the art piece — outside Jimmy Jam T-Shirts — was the backdrop for a commercial for Super Bowl LVI featuring Vanessa Bryant and has drawn fans from near and far. For years, the mural remained untouched — an unspoken mark of respect for the artist and the subject but one that abruptly ended this year. In late March, someone tagged the artwork with large bubble letters outlined in black and filled in with white — a similar style to other street tagging visible across the city. Sloe Motions went back to work, painstakingly restoring the mural. There was much fanfare in downtown when the new mural made its debut in late May. But within a few days, it was again defaced. The artist is disappointed but vows to restore it once again — this time in a new location. 'This one has a lot of meaning to it, so it hurts me that people would do something like this where they're disrespecting the Bryant family. It just exposes these people's demons,' Sloe Motions said. Graffiti has long been an element of Los Angeles life, and residents of downtown are used to tags as part of the landscape. This is, after all, the place where taggers coated the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza high-rise complex with graffiti, generating international attention and debate about the line between art and vandalism. But the treatment of the Kobe tribute surprised Sloe Motions. 'This isn't just another Kobe mural. It's a memorial,' he said. Street art has long been a part of the culture of Los Angeles, where murals — sanctioned and unsanctioned — and graffiti harmoniously share canvas space. Some abide by the unwritten code that you don't cover someone else's art. Others take a more autonomous approach, creating what they want where they want. 'Great cities have great public art,' said Wyland, a Laguna Beach-based artist who has painted murals across the world. 'This Kobe mural, it's become part of the fabric of Los Angeles. And for someone to come in and destroy it like that doesn't make any sense.' Los Angeles is known as a city of murals — some of which remain respectfully untouched for years, while others like the Kobe memorial are a seemingly irresistible target for taggers. There was a time when some property owners believed hiring the right muralist to grace your walls — or including a portrait of the Virgen de Guadalupe — could keep taggers away. But not anymore. In many ways downtown Los Angeles is the perfect gallery for viewing street art, turning nondescript buildings into colorful canvases that tell the story of the region. Ife Ewing, co-owner of Jimmy Jam T-Shirts, says street art has changed in the 13 years her business has been housed on Main Street. 'Before, it was isolated to designated areas,' she said. 'It's a different breed of artists now. They have no respect for business owners, property owners. It's disrespectful. You have to call it what it is, it's just disrespect.' Sloe Motions is far from the only muralist to feel burned. Judy Baca's famed mural of a female Olympic runner is beloved, even though it has been hit by taggers in the past. Then in 2019, the mural — part of the 1984 Olympics art movement — was mysterious whitewashed, sparking outrage. Metro eventually admitted one of its graffiti abatement contractors had covered the mural and vowed to restore it. 'They would rather paint on the mural than see even a mark of graffiti on the mural,' Baca said at the time. The latest vandalism to Bryant's mural felt like another blow to the area. A post on June 3 from the DTLA Insider Instagram account summed up the situation simply: 'We really can't have nice things.' The mural image is a spin on a photograph capturing a sweet moment during the 2008 NBA Finals when the Lakers legend — a proud 'girl dad' — leans down and kisses the side of his smiling toddler's head as he cradles her in his arm during a news conference. Sloe Motions was drawn to the emotion in the photograph — the purity of a father's love and a daughter's admiration for her hero. It was captured years before Gigi started playing basketball, showing off her own version of her dad's envied fadeaway jumper. Next to them, the words 'Mambas Forever' with an infinity symbol are painted in purple and gold. Bryant, 41, and 13-year-old Gigi, along with seven others — John Altobelli, 56; Keri Altobelli, 46; Alyssa Altobelli, 13; Christina Mauser, 38, Sarah Chester, 45; Payton Chester, 13; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50 — died Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter Zobayan was flying crashed in the hills of Calabasas. After the initial vandalism in late March, Sloe Motions had sought donations to help cover the cost of restoring the mural in the current location, hoping to preserve the spot for the Bryant family. 'There's just a lot of meaning at that wall,' he said. Lakers star Luka Doncic's foundation quickly jumped into action, donating $5,000, the full amount needed, to a fundraiser to help restore the art piece. In late May, Sloe Motions posted on Instagram that the mural was finally finished. He'd added a few additional touches, painting the No. 8 on Gigi's jersey, an homage to the number that Kobe wore for the first 10 seasons of his career. A week later, the new details were still visible but under the scrawl of white paint. On June 4, television news cameras were positioned near the mural, and passersby stopped to assess the damage. A jumble of bright white paint cut across the image, and heavy white dots covered Kobe's and Gigi's eyes. 'This time, they really went heavy,' Sergio Bautista, 35, said as he stood in front of the mural. 'It's sad to see.' Sky Hendrix, who was in the area filming a music video with a friend, expressed his disbelief. 'That's disrespecting the dead,' Hendrix said as he took in the scene. 'Who would do that? He's the GOAT and she's just a little girl.' Despite the vandalism, Sloe Motions showed no real sign of anger as he talked about the future of the art piece somewhere else where more people could view and appreciate it. He said he sent 'prayers' to the people who vandalized his work. 'Nothing's forever, and that's the beauty of this stuff,' Sloe Motions said. 'Some stuff could last a minute, some stuff could last a day, some stuff could last years.' Times photographer Genaro Molina contributed to this report.
CBS News
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Kobe and Gigi Bryant mural in downtown LA vandalized again
After being restored recently, the Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural in downtown Los Angeles has been vandalized once again. The mural, located at 1361 Main St., Los Angeles, depicts the legendary Laker with his daughter when she was a toddler. Artist Sloe_motions created the mural shortly after Kobe, Gigi, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. "This was the first mural I ever did for Kobe," the artist said after the first vandalism. After restoring the piece of art that started his dedication to Kobe and Gigi's memory in May, Sloe Motion said he was disappointed to see the mural again covered in graffiti. The mural was covered with graffiti after artist Sloe Motions restored it recently. dtlainsider | Instagram "We didn't want that disrespect to LA right here and for people to see that, especially Vanessa," Sloe Motion said. "Kobe has brought nothing but light and insight and inspiration to the youth." Sloe Motions started an online fundraiser after the initial vandalism in April. It caught the eye of Laker star Luka Dončić, who donated $5,000 to help restore the mural. "Kobe is LA. He and Gigi mean so much to this city, to the Lakers organization and to me personally," Dončić said in a statement. "I'm happy to do anything to help make sure he and his daughter are honored." Sloe Motion painted the mural shortly after the deadly helicopter crash and went one to paint dozens more. However, it was his first that gave him the opportunity to meet Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, two years later. "This is Los Angeles," Bryant said in a commercial for Super Bowl LVI while parked in front of the mural. "The city of angels. Where iconic teams, where iconic moments and where icons have etched their place in the storybook of history. Where nothing is impossible without a lot of hard work and a little imagination."
