Artist brightens up Chicago with 'Wakanda Forever' mural

CHICAGO -- Chicago native muralist and street artist Rahmaan Statik is bringing empowerment to the Woodlawn neighborhood through his latest "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" mural.

For Statik, who was born just down the street from where the mural is located, it is a full circle moment.

"I'm a comic book fanboy. Before I was doing murals, I wanted to be a comic book artist. I wanted to work for Marvel," Statik said.

The mural depicts "Wakanda Forever" characters M'Baku, Okoye and Shuri proudly standing among a vibrant Wakanda.

Statik explained his artistic take on the mural stating, "You can tell this piece is mine because of the color palette. Cyan, magenta, yellow. That way, it's vibrant, even on a gray day."

The mural is located on the corner of 61st Street and Champlain Avenue in Woodlawn, a primarily African American community that Statik hopes to empower.

"People want to see images that look like them that are empowered and not alienated," Statik said. "And everyone deserves that, everyone deserves their own Mount Rushmore."

Just like the story of Black Panther and Wakanda, Statik hopes his mural will inspire the community to reach their highest potential.

"The main function though, as far as why I'm going that hard on this, in this area, is to bring museum standard painting to the streets," Statik said. "Maybe a whole neighborhood of kids will see this and be inspired."

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" hits theaters November 11, 2022.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of Marvel Studios and this ABC station.