Impossible Fantasy comes to life at the Russell Industrial Center

DETROIT, MI, September 12, 2010

Detroit likes things bigger and better. Take a look at the cars that we have produced over the past 100 years. The word small is the furthest thing from our minds. Kobie Solomon is a graffiti artist that has taken this concept to the next level. Solomon has undertaken a project that will take the next two months to complete and end up being the largest graffiti/spraycan art mural EVER in the state of Michigan. Another large icon in Detroit... The Russell Industrial Center has commissioned the installation of this mural to be placed on one of its prominent building walls.

The concept for the mural is one that embodies the entire city of Detroit and will pull on the heart strings of its residents. The main focus will be a Chimera. According to Greek mythology the Chimera is composed of the parts of multiple animals, more generally, it was viewed as an impossible or foolish fantasy. The Chimera is a perfect choice for inspiring all who see it, because dreams that people may see as impossible, can become reality if backed by innovation and determination. The backdrop of the Russell Industrial Center can teach all of Detroit inspirational lessons, as the RIC has managed to avoid death by becoming a montage of artists and small businesses, forming a thriving complex known as the Midwest's largest Art Mecca.

Solomon has put his own touch (a Detroit influence) on the Chimera definition and has created a beautiful rendition. To represent Detroit, the creature is composed of elements of each of the 4 major sports teams, aspects of Detroit industry and graphic representation of some of the creative activities going on at the Russell on a daily basis. The mane is made out of Brushes, pencils, files, hobby knives, chisels and pens. His tail ends with a glass blowers torch. With a backdrop of the city and the Detroit River displayed prominently, This painting will be a testament to the beauty that Detroit has to offer the rest of the world. This enormous mural will face I-75 right in the heart of the city, providing a view that will amaze hundreds of thousands of people daily.

About the Russell Industrial Center:
Originally designed by Albert Kahn in 1915 for J.W. Murray Mfg. Co. to manufacture parts for the Automobile Industry. Now in 2010, it has become the largest art community in the midwest that houses many businesses, artists, craftspeople and printers.

About Kobie Solomon:
Kobe Solomon found his passion for graffiti during his second year of high-school when he was introduced to the magazine Twelve Ounce Prophet. After seeing the dynamic, color-saturated fluidity of graffiti, his future endeavors in the art world would never be the same. Kobie went through at least one sketchbook a month in an obsessive search for the best letters he could paint. Add to this fact that there was a freight train lay-up at the end of his street and an abandoned military storage facility with more than 150,000 square feet within a mile of his house, and you have the ingredients for a visual powder keg. These two locations provided year-round access to a wide variety of surfaces, which Kobie took full advantage of.


After graduating from high school, Kobie began his collegiate education at the College for Creative Studies in downtown Detroit where he received classical training in the field of illustration, all the while writing graffiti freely and sinking deeper into the underground hip-hop and techno scene of the city, eventually becoming the graffiti representative for the Detroit Chapter of the Zulu Nation at the age of 18. After 3 years at school, Kobie opted to take a break from his classes and opened up Tag'd-N-Bag'd Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan along with photographer Linda Bannerton. Unfortunately, the gallery failed after just one short year, but not before showing the work of scores of artists; many of which were being given a show for the first time. There were established artists shown in the gallery as well, among them rock poster artist Mark Arminski, color and light theorist Mark Sengbush, and the now widely-known Tristan Eaton.


Subsequent to the galleries closing, Kobie returned to college to complete his degree. After receiving his Bachelors, he continued to freelance in the tumultuous world of art and design in the Motor City. No job was too big or too small, and he even took on work outside his areas of expertise in an effort to expand his abilities and skills set. At the time of this biographies completion, he had painted numerous legal (and less legal) murals in and around the city, single handedly painted the largest single piece of spray-can art in the states history at over 2,500 square feet, co-designed and helped build a nightclub, performed live in front of thousands at the first three Detroit Electronic Music Festivals, and custom designed and hand machined virtually every element from floor to ceiling at Double-Up Couture in Birmingham Michigan. Currently, Kobie continues to freelance as a multi-disciplinary artist and designer in and around Metro Detroit, and is also involved in opening his own tattoo shop at Inkaholix in River Rouge, Michigan.


For Press Inquiries Contact:
Jodie Svagr
313-915-1164
Jodie@RICDetroit.com
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