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Although Ram Krishnan got the ball really rolling on the Nelson Mandela mural that graces the side of his 1600 block of Fitzwater Street home last summer, he had been thinking of and planning the execution for years. Krishnan is an information technology consultant with a history of international business traveling who spent nearly two years in South Africa. Since Mandela’s Dec. 5 passing, the mural he commissioned by artist Ben Slow, aka Slow Mo, has gotten quite a bit of attention.
While in Johannesburg, Krishnan was inspired by the country’s rich history and how the modern notion of interracial harmony achieved in the African nation has been so heartily shaped by Mandela.
“What I loved about South Africa is that they’ve kind of embraced their past and moved on with their future,” Krishnan said. “They’re optimistic, they believe they can do anything in the world, especially the kids over there; whatever race they may be, they were just happy to see coexistence between two rival races. And it’s all because this man worked hard to get [apartheid] out.”
Krishnan’s house is full of art, but for the outdoor exhibit, the South of South resident was working with a pretty short list of subjects: Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and Mandela. He had hopes that the City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program would get involved, but timing and resources just weren’t aligning. He wanted to make a contribution to the neighborhood, to the city and the many people who would walk past his home.
While the mural went up as Mandela’s health started its steep decline this past summer, neither Krishnan nor the artist appreciates the notion that the work of art went up in order to capitalize on the international human rights leader’s death.
“When I painted the piece in August, he was obviously quite ill,” Slow said of the South-African leader who died at the age of 95. “But to be honest, that’s not really the reason I painted the piece. [Ram and I] had been discussing for some time who I should paint on the exterior wall. We were keen for it to be a positive character, someone we both looked up to. A number of figures came up, but we decided Mandela would be the best option.”
Slow’s work is often generated out of a portrait, and he took the selection of this particular image quite seriously.
“It’s certainly not a case of finding any old image and going with it,” Slow said. “It is a case of plenty of research, finding images that have the right sort of emotion behind them, and also, it’s vital for me that it’s not an image that has been overused in the past. I spent hours going through countless images for this project, and this one spoke to me the most.”
Though Mandela, often called the Father of South Africa, was seen as a happy man, a man of optimism and hope, the photograph that Slow chose reflects a man deep in thought and full of worry. Both as a photograph and as a mural, it speaks to way more than just the life of a man. Krishnan said he saw the creation of this mural as a great opportunity to contribute something positive to his community.
“There is a certain community building here, and I want to perpetuate it,” he explained. “It’s my little attempt to pay homage to someone who’s very important. In my mind, who’s made a very significant impact on the world.”
Cathy Harris, the Mural Arts Program’s director of community murals, was eager to work with Krishnan, but is still grateful the mural’s been executed, even if not through her organization.
“Ram is such a genuine patron and enthusiast of the arts, especially in Philadelphia. He was great to work with — very enthusiastic and grateful for the assistance Mural Arts was able to give him,” Harris said.
She noted she also loves the subject that Krishnan landed on.
“Mandela was a great subject, having global impact and being one who is beloved and respected by so many. It was also a great choice because of Ram’s personal experiences and what Mandela meant to him.”
The Dalai Lama was, perhaps, too spiritual or religious for a community mural. And Gandhi, Krishnan said, “they know him as a figure, but he’s not someone living now that we can relate to.”
However, a theme was clear amongst the three contenders.
“I always wanted to promote non-violence,” Krishnan said. “I wanted to do something that reminded us of being non-violent and peaceful.”
Regarding logistics, he had the house built with no windows on the west-facing wall specifically meant to house a mural. For years he’d been keeping his tabs on artists, with special attention paid to street artists, and he had been checking in on Slow for years. But back in August he extended the invitation for Slow to fly from London, and the young artist excitedly accepted.
Since Mandela’s passing, flowers, candles, notes and gestures of thanks have been bestowed upon Krishnan and the mural itself.
Mandela knew struggle. His trial for conspiring to overthrow the state began in 1962 and his imprisonment did not end until his release in ’90. He soon started working with F. W. de Klerk to end apartheid, and four years following his release, the nation made history by holding a multiracial election, with Mandela being elected the country’s first black president.
When he passed earlier this month, news outlets from around the area and afar came to film on Fitzwater Street with the mural as a potent backdrop.
“I had notes on my doorstep thanking me,” Krishan said, mentioning correspondence he’s been meaning to attend to with CNN.
For now, Krishnan’s feeling pleased and humbled that his commission has been so well-received.
“I do very strongly want to push anything that can be kind and gestures of equality and freedom,” he said.
Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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