February 26, 2023 

Art At The Rendon hosted a private mural unveiling ceremony and fundraiser for The Righteous Among the Nations Global Mural Project, organized by Artists 4 Israel (A4I) and the Combat Antisemitism Movement. 

Following the success of large-scale murals already erected in Greece, Portugal, and New York City, Art At The Rendon was proud to offer the wall space for the fourth mural in a series of 10+ murals being erected internationally. The mural was painted by local artist Andrew Hem.

Each mural painted by a local, world-renowned graffiti and street artist, honors a Righteous Gentile Rescuer who risked their life to save Jewish men, women, and children during the Holocaust. The 60-foot Los Angeles mural on the Rendon celebrates Irene Gut Opdyke, who risked her life saving twelve Polish Jews from murder by Nazi Germany by hiding them in a Nazi commander’s basement directly under his nose. 

The project honors the courageous actions of unsung heroes, inspires resistance to rising antisemitism and hatred, motivates community engagement, and educates those ignorant of the Holocaust and the terrors of unchecked bigotry. Most importantly, The Righteous Among the Nations Global Mural Project models the actions we expect all individuals to take in the face of evil.

The private event included words from guest speaker Jeannie Opdyke Smith, Irene’s daughter,

United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Elan Carr, Special Guest, Gene Simmons and Miss Iraq Sarah Idan. Live music by the Molly Miller Trio.

Community Sponsors: Art At The Rendon / Rendon Media / Topo Chico / Angel City Brewery

ABOUT ANDREW HEM

Raised as the child of Cambodian immigrants in Los Angeles, Andrew Hem’s illustrative paintings bridge disparate aesthetic influences as well as cultural touchstones and sensibilities. Hem’s paintings typically highlight an individual within a group of figures,  homing in on the one person who is often somberly staring out from the canvas. Using a cool palette in which the colors do not quite match up with the real world, the artist creates somber moods in illusionistic spaces set at a remove from reality. Although his color scheme- with its supernatural rendering of the natural world- elicits comparisons to impressionism, Hem also echoes graffiti art based on his straightforward and illustrative rendering of figures and spaces, as well as allusions to street culture, art, and fashion. 

GALLERY