LOOK: Filipino-American artist behind 3-story centennial mural at Long Beach Airport
Filipino-American artist Marconi behind 3-story centennial mural at Long Beach Airport | Photo from Long Beach Airport/Instagram
Filipino-American artist Marconi Calindas, who now goes by the mononym Marconi, bested 100 other applicants in a nationwide call for art submissions for a recently unveiled mural at the Long Beach Airport to commemorate its centennial.
Marconi’s “A Flight to History,” a massive 60-foot-by-30-foot vinyl mural, now welcomes travelers flying into the airport to the city with vividly painted scenes of local landmarks.
“Marconi’s piece is a visual journey through time, featuring the iconic Historic Terminal at its core, surrounded by a tapestry of airplanes and local attractions that define Long Beach’s vibrancy and uniqueness,” read a press release from the Long Beach Airport.
Marconi received a prize of $10,000 for the mural that was officially unveiled on Nov. 29, days after the airport’s official anniversary on Nov. 26.
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“Long Beach is also close to our hearts because my significant other of 19 years and gallery partner grew up and went to school in Long Beach, too,” the openly queer artist said in an Instagram post.
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The Fi-lAm artist is notable for his colorful art pieces. Born in Manila, Marconi is an award-winning artist whose works have been displayed in public art projects ranging from San Francisco City Hall, Children’s Creative Museum, SoMARTS Gallery SF, Hotel Triton Mezzanine Gallery, Magnet SF and Menlo College, Artists Alley SF, and Aspect Gallery to exhibitions at A-Forest Gallery NYC, Intermedia Arts Gallery Minneapolis, among many others.
In 2016, Marconi was selected as one of the large “Hearts in SF” Sculpture artists. His creation was displayed at the famed San Francisco Union Square and is now on permanent display at the AT&T headquarters in San Francisco.
His sculpture art was one of 19 hearts auctioned later that year to help raise funds for the San Francisco General Hospital. He was the first Filipino artist to be invited to participate in the project, and his large heart “SF Sunflowers” was the first heart sculpture to be sold.
