An iconic mural in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte was destroyed this week, but the muralist assures there was no "animosity."
Artist Osiris Rain confirmed the "fiasco," saying his "Bloom" mural was mistakenly destroyed after a misunderstanding about which mural to paint over. He shared a lengthy post on his Instagram on Thursday (March 3) to show before and after photos of the now-demolished mural.
"This was an unfortunate accident but sometimes s--- happens," he wrote. "The painting company that was contracted to paint over the advertisement mural on the opposite side of the building painted out the wrong Mural. This wasn't done out of any animosity or intent for harm. It just happened."
According to WCNC, the mural has been a feature of the NoDa neighborhood since it was commissioned as a Stella Artois mural. When the company moved out of the building on the corner of East 35th and North Davidson streets, Rain repainted it to better suit his neighborhood, with a lotus flower in the center and "Charlotte" spelled out in large block letters.
While his hard work was covered up this week, he isn't allowing the mistake to get him down.
"Honestly it's almost a little poetic considering the lotus mural and the icon of the lotus flower is symbolic of the neighborhood in the idea of growth and change," he said. "So perhaps in a way, it was a small blessing and reflective of the nature of Noda as a growing neighborhood."
Rain said he has already been in contact with the parties involved to potentially repaint the wall with a brand new design.
"I'm looking forward to creating another special mural for the neighborhood soon," he said. "I love my hood, and I hope that the creativity and creatives that has made it thrive is never erased."