Start From Here

Start From Here by Isaac Tin Wei Lin. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • location 1315 Race Street
  • Neighborhood

    Center City

  • completion date

    November 04, 2015

Mural dedication. Photo by Steve Weinik.

About the Project 

Start From Here is a deconstruction and distillation of Isaac Tin Wei Lin’s previous abstract work which used calligraphic brush marks in single colors. In this piece similar marks were layered in different colors creating a chaotic tapestry. The layered marks are then presented individually like Lego pieces laid out before assembly, allowing them to be seen as parts of a whole.

Isaac Tin Wei Lin. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Start From Here is a reference to operational and instructional manuals for building something. The colors of the marks were chosen based on color theory, what looked good to the artist and national flags. The title plays into the idea of newness and beginnings, while the use of colors of national flags speaks to the idea that (unless you are Native American) we all come from somewhere else as immigrants or refugees, and as the artist’s parents did, are here to start a new life.