Mural seen as symbolizing Japan's wartime aggression to be modified

The controversial mural by artist Beau Stanton at the Robert F. Kennedy Community School in Los Angeles. AFP

By Jung Min-ho

A Los Angeles mural that many Korean-Americans see as symbolizing Japan's wartime aggression will be modified.

According to local media, American artist Beau Stanton recently agreed to make changes to a mural of Hollywood actress Ava Gardner at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (RFK), after the Korean-American community complained that sun rays in the background resemble the "Rising Sun" flag of the Japanese imperial military during World War II.

Last December, the school at Koreatown said it would paint over the mural after complaints, but the decision evoked an outcry from some residents and artists, who criticized the school for "political censorship."

After speaking with various school officials, community members and artists, Stanton said he would resolve the conflict by making revisions to the mural.

"These interactions have allowed me to synthesize a solution that aims to rise above the original binary conversation of 'keep or remove the mural' in order to build upon the original work and create something that speaks to the past, present and future of the RFK campus," Stanton told the Los Angeles Times.

"My proposal involves creating a transformative work utilizing the original mural as a base for layering and weaving additional imagery into the original image, much like an urban wall with many historic layers."

The district has allotted about $20,000 to fund the additional work.

The rays-of-sun motif appears in many of Stanton's work, which he insists has no connection with the Japanese military flag.

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