Murals tell stories, represent cultures of Mesa’s Asian District
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — Five stunning murals featuring vibrant colors, animals, flowers, and mythical creatures pay tribute to Asian cultures around the Asian District Mesa AZ.
Shela Yu is from Mesa and has painted murals for the last five years. Her mural, the Jewel of Balance, is on the south side of the Mekong Plaza building.
The mural shows a colorful dragon in Arizona’s desert landscape while paying homage to her Chinese culture. Yu chose to paint a dragon as 2024 was the dragon year in the Chinese Zodiac. She also depicted a rabbit moon, which is part of Chinese stories and mythology. 2023 was also the year of the rabbit.
“It’s kind of like this progression of what year we were in and the year that we came from,” said Yu. She says the bright colors of the mural represent the Asian culture and the desert.
For Yu, painting this mural was a huge honor. Not only was it her first large-scale mural, but it also meant that she got to be part of this celebration of Asian cultures happening right in her hometown; as she describes, it was a “full circle moment.”
“It’s a point of pride in a way, I feel like it has given us a space to celebrate each other’s cultures,” said Yu.
Yu has seen Mesa change over the years. She says growing up, she didn’t have a place like the Mesa Asian District, and that in the 90s or early 2000s, there was a little disdain for her culture.
Yu says it’s unique to have a place with a combination of cultures, and Mesa’s Asian District has been healing for her. She gets excited whenever she drives to the area.
“I think what’s happening with a space like this is there’s a combination of different cultures that are part of the Asian diaspora,” said Yu. “You don’t really see that in large cities. So that’s what makes the Asian district unique.”
Other murals adorn the Asian District Mesa AZ symbolizing different parts of Asian culture.
The mural, Whimsical Race of the Zodiac, painted by Kadhima Tung, can be found at the Mekong Plaza. Tung’s art is on the 13 columns at the plaza’s entrance, each representing a Chinese Zodiac sign.
Just a little south is the Festival of Unity mural painted by Sandra Bosscher. The mural, on the east side of the UNITS Moving and Portable Storage building, was inspired by the diversity of Asian cultures and reflects the strength and unity of the west Mesa Community.
Across the street is the Take Flight mural created by Ariana Enriquez. The artwork is located on the north wall and along the columns of Barcelona Plaza near Dobson Road and 1st Avenue. The columns have flowers and birds representing the most populous Asian countries.
Finally, the Heping and Zhufu mural, Mandarin for Peace and Blessings, is on the south side of the former AZ International Marketplace near Dobson and Broadway roads. Francisco Garcia painted the artwork, which shows a bright green field filled with pandas, symbolizing strength, peace and friendship in Chinese culture.
To see a map of the location of the Asian District Mesa AZ murals, click here.
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