Untitled

Pantonio

Portugal based artist Pantonio (Antonio Correia) was chosen to paint a mural for Long Beach Walls (FKA POW! WOW! Long Beach) 2016 street art festival. The mural was located at the Aquarium of the Pacific on its 2,600 square foot front wall. Born in Azores, Portugal, Pantonio is no stranger to the natural world drawing inspiration from his surroundings, the sea, animals and geology of the land. The mural is inspired by the vanishing animals exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific in the hopes of educating the public about mass extinctions and how to counteract it.
The mural depicts a group of large manta rays swimming gracefully across the aquarium wall. Pantonio captures the natural movements of the manta ray fish which activates the design and gives it life. The scale of the design goes past the edge of the wall and allows the viewer to step back and become one with the creatures path.