It’s been a starry couple of weeks for local artist and CIS participant J West, whose mural was just unveiled at the Philadelphia International Airport as part of the exhibit “JAWN 4 – IT’S A PHILLY THING.”  

The airport’s Exhibitions Program commissioned him to do this piece, and it’s a marvel. In the painting’s background are depictions of different places in the airport. In the foreground, his trademark break-dancers twist and tumble, coming into the painting from every direction. Through this piece J brings the atmosphere of Philadelphia into the airport’s interior with a mural as various and vibrant as the city itself. 

“Art and dancers have inspired my life,” J said. “I put break-dancers in everything because of watching back to back battles and ‘B Street’ and ‘Breaking’ movies. I like to include them in all my paintings.”  

West is a Philly-born, self-taught painter. His work incorporates his daily activities, interests, and experiences through the presence of break-dancing, favorite celebrities, or through the densely rendered neighborhoods he travels every day. 

We’re so glad to see J get this incredible recognition and to see his great work reach such a wide audience. See more of J’s work here (www.instagram.com/jaitherwest), or head to the Airport’s Exhibitions website to learn more about the artwork on display (https://www.phl.org/at-phl/art-exhibitions/current-art-exhibitions).