(Los Angeles, CA) As summer travel season takes off, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), announces two new site-specific mural installations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The murals can be found in Terminal 7 and the connection between Terminals 7 and 8.

“Los Angeles World AIrports is creating dynamic and thought-provoking public spaces at LAX by showcasing Los Angeles’ vibrant contemporary art scene and creating a unique sense of place at the airport,” said Sarah Cifarelli, Director of LAX’s Art Program. “We are excited about these collaborations with talented local artists who are bringing their fresh voices to our art program.”

“Intentions” by Tofer Chin

In Terminal 7, Tofer Chin’s new mural, “Intentions,” greets departing airport guests at the United Airlines ticketing lobby. Through the use of form, color and scale, “Intentions” encourages viewers to reflect on one’s physical surroundings, as well as one’s inner emotional state. Chin’s mural is on view for the public through September 2019.

Chin’s mural features an abstract urban landscape of bold shapes and a spare paint palette of white, black and bright apricot. The shapes emulate shadows of buildings, and the glow of the apricot color is reminiscent of Los Angeles’ vivid sunsets. For Chin, who was born and raised in this city, the spirit of Los Angeles shifts at sunset as the metropolis’ iconic atmospheric light changes and becomes filled with deep oranges and pinks.

“For many, these dramatic sunsets can produce a feeling of euphoric inspiration, an energy I strive to celebrate as a symbol of what drives the dreamers and doers of Los Angeles,” Chin said.

This site-specific mural reminds airport guests of the city’s vast possibilities by encouraging them to reflect on the moments when they can pause and connect with their surroundings before continuing on with their day. Most recently, to celebrate the inaugural Los Angeles edition of Frieze Art Fair, Chin was commissioned to produce a mural for the Standard Hotel in Downtown L.A., that has a similar aesthetic to the mural that currently greets Terminal 7 guests.

“Songs of Freedom: Renée Fox + WriteGirl”

Displayed in the corridor connecting Terminals 7 and 8, Renée Fox’s 200-foot-long intricate mural, titled “Songs of Freedom: Renée Fox + WriteGirl,”  pairs delicate graphite drawings of different species of local and regional birds with poetry by young writers mentored by the nonprofit organization, WriteGirl.

This stunning mural collaboration was curated by Elizabeta Betinski and is on view for ticketed guests through early February 2020. WriteGirl is a creative writing and mentoring association that promotes creativity and self-expression to empower girls.

The exhibition’s premise is based on the concept of call-and-response: a form of communication in which the speaker’s “calls” are punctuated by the responses of the listeners. After viewing Fox’s art, 27 girls wrote haikus inspired by the artist’s detailed drawings of birds in motion. The 36 haikus are interspersed throughout the hallway along with Fox’s 34 large-scale, meticulously hand-drawn birds placed against colorful painted streamers.

Fox shared, “I am inspired by nature and was excited my artwork would be the focus of the girls’ poetry. I chose to feature birds in the mural as I thought they would be a poignant symbol of flight, travel, and freedom for young people to consider.”

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX was honored as having the "Best Overall Customer Service Program" by Airports Council International-North America; named the "Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms" by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 "Best of the U.S.'s Big Airports" (Wall Street Journal) and "Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an "Innovation Award" from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a "Business Leader in Air Quality" by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.