MACHAS

Capturing the LA Downtown Scene: Jonathan Calugi’s mural at The Crosby’s rooftop

Pre-Covid time, Jonathan Calugi flew all the way over to California for a mural project in Los Angeles. Commissioned by landscape developer group SQLA Inc, the murals are nested on The Crosby’s, a brand new luxury building on Wilshire Blvd, sunny rooftop deck.

Having immersed in the buzzing Koreatown area, Jonathan created a 21-metre long, LA-inspired artwork that marks an exciting evolution in his style. A mix of black lines and bold, graphic shapes in which the fluidity of the drawing finds an unexpected balance between abstract and figurative.

Jonathan says that the “inspiration for the artwork was quite organic. My interest was in how people can write stories with shapes and colours. This type of work starts with free-flowing doodling, where I just translate an idea into form. It’s a creative game, where those who can visualise the artwork complete it.”

“The spirit of LA absolutely influenced my artworks,” Jonathan adds. “The fluid movement of the city — palms, music, playfulness, and love! I’m starting to believe that maybe ‘LA’ means Love Always.”

When creating the piece, the building was still under construction, and there was even a rare spot of LA rain, making Jonathan’s painting experience far from low-key. Dodging construction materials and raindrops, however, Jonathan completed the mural within a week.

“The LA experience was crazy!” Jonathan explained. “I’m from a small town in Italy, and I move around by bike - you can imagine how bizarre it was for me to take a Lyft to go everywhere. My understanding of LA is that everything is around the corner - you just need to use a car. But I love Los Angeles.”

The pool deck is now open and makes a strong case for the chilled-out lifestyle of the Angelenos!

See more of Jonathan’s work here.