Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles

Cryptik is a Los Angeles based artist that creates works of art that explore the realm of spirituality and consciousness.  His iconic depictions of deities and spiritual leaders, along with his signature style of calligraphy, can be seen throughout the West Coast, adorning the urban landscape and galleries alike.  The goal of his art is to offer people a different perspective, one that encompasses teaching from diverse wisdom traditions, in order to help them develop a broader philosophy of life.  The Cryptik Movement is a public art campaign dedicated to helping humanity evolve towards greater awareness and understanding through the use of compelling, iconic imagery that demands both scrutiny and reverie.  The purpose of this organization is to facilitate the development of a deeper, more meaningful philosophy of life.  For this years Special Olympic Games Cryptik created, "The Greatest," located at 1248 South Figueroa in Los Angeles.  His mural features a large-scale portrait of boxing legend Muhammad Ali and multiple plaques with inspirational quotations from six Special Olympic athletes and Special Olympics advocates Kofi Annan and Apolo Ohno.  Visitors can move up close to the piece to explore the words and connections.  This mural was created in partnership with the 2015 Special Olympics and the generosity of Toyota.  It is one of three murals created for the 2015 Special Olympics under the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and managed by Branded Arts.  Click the link to watch the video produced by Anchorfield about Cryptik, his work and his process.  http://s56087.gridserver.com/ftp/toyota/Cryptik_Final.mp4  

 Photo 1: © Bill Lasarow, Photo 2: Isabel Rojas-Williams