New mural of Jerusalem’s Western Wall
The ARK Centre recently unveiled new renovations, including a 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.
The large mural of the Kotel stretches out from each side of the bimah, providing those in prayer a space for quiet reflection and spirituality. The sky is as much a feature as the Kotel – perhaps reflecting the divine presence on earth and in the heavens.
As The AJN meets with Clavijo to interview him at the ARK Centre, a wedding is taking place between a 96-year-old man and a Chinese woman who converted to Judaism through Project Ruth, which seeks to make conversion to Orthodox Judaism more accessible.
As Rabbi Kaltmann sings in Hebrew at the end of the ceremony, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,” before the glass is broken to remember the Temple, it is clear that the ARK Centre community will always have Jerusalem in their minds and prayers, enhanced by Clavijo’s artwork.