New mural of Jerusalem’s Western Wall

The ARK Centre recently unveiled its new renovations and mural of Jerusalem’s Western Wall created by artist Julian Clavijo and commissioned by the Jack and Robert Smorgon Family Foundation.

Born in Colombia and based in Melbourne, Clavijo is an internationally renowned artist having created murals all over the world, including at Bialik College. In November 2018, Clavijo was awarded the Best Global Artist Award in the category of Street Art in Dubai, an accolade given by the Global Art Agency, the Wall Street Journal and the UAE government.

​​Clavijo is not Jewish, but he has a strong spiritual connection to the Kotel and it was his idea to paint it. “It’s very, very close to me, probably the place on earth that I’m most grateful for,” he shared.

Clavijo told The AJN that his brother converted to Judaism and when his Jewish in-laws travelled to Jerusalem they put a note in the wall asking to find Clavijo a partner. That night, Clavijo met his fiancée and he credits that act of faith for finding his bashert.

“So that sacred thing that happened to me obviously marked the rest of my life … This is a deeply inspiring sight for me.” He thought, “Let me paint the Western Wall from these walls, because they’re deeply connected to what I am now.” He shared the idea with Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann and Kelly Smorgon, who loved it.