Shark mural takes a bite out of ‘Tan Jose’
There’s a new shark getting a lot of attention near SAP Center, and this one doesn’t even play hockey. The stunning new mural in progress, towering over the Whole Foods parking lot on two walls of the Modera apartment building on The Alameda, has been drawing a crowd for the past week.
Created by internationally famous urban artist Nychos — known for his work featuring cross-sections and deconstructions — the eye-popping artwork, titled “Bleed Teal,” is expected to be finished in time for Modera’s grand opening event Thursday night. But even unfinished, the work is a visual sensation, with the shark’s skeleton separated from its body and its inner anatomy exposed.
The beast’s illustrated stomach contains a few choice morsels, including a California license plate, a fish skeleton, a hockey skate and stick, and even the old Anaheim Ducks mask. Talk about taking a bite out of the “Tan Jose” reputation.
So how did Nychos end up in San Jose? The San Jose Sharks reached out to Empire Seven Studios — the art enclave founded by Juan Carlos Araujo and Jennifer Ahn that’s behind the art-forward Pow! Wow! San Jose festival and several murals around the city — about getting some sharkrelated artwork on the wall of the apartment building. Empire Seven’s shortlist included Nychos, and the Sharks commissioned the piece.
Coincidentally, the Austrian-born artist was already familiar with San Jose. Nychos, who lives in the Los Angeles area, was invited to a December holiday party in San Francisco hosted by Open Austria, the country’s official presence in the Bay Area. He stopped in San Jose on the way and met with Empire Seven and reps from the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs to talk about possibilities for bringing his work to San Jose.
“As a leading international street artist, Nychos’ ‘Bleed Teal’ mural is an out
standing addition to San Jose’s growing collection of great public art,” said Kerry Adams Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs. “It is significant that private organizations like the Sharks recognize the value of investing in art and artists to cultivate a visual fabric that instills pride and excitement in San Jose.”
DEMOLITION DAY » The groundbreaking Tuesday of the Santana West project coincided with the demolition of the former Bob’s Big Boy on the Winchester Boulevard site, which was most recently a Flames restaurant. Preservationists had argued for saving the midcentury modern building, and Federal Realty even offered to move the structure if someone was interested.
The Century 22 and 23 domes are expected to be demolished before the end of the week, so get your last looks at them while you still can. Fortunately, the Century 21 dome, the first constructed in the style and the cinema that launched the Century Theatres chain, was designated a city landmark in 2014 and will be preserved.
What the future holds for the Century 21, though, is entirely unclear. Federal Realty reps have said they’re open to a creative reuse of the building, though it seems unlikely anything would happen while construction on the Santana West project is ongoing. San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones said Tuesday that he’d like to see the dome used as an “innovation hub,” providing business incubator space, a STEM camp and job retraining as part of an innovation zone in West San Jose.
Of course, many people — nostalgic for the 1,100 seat theater that was the premier movie-going spot in the valley — would love to see it showing movies again. Is there any hope? Well, Alamo Drafthouse poured $10 million into a renovation of the New Mission Theater in San Francisco, and Pacific Theatres’ Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is thriving after being saved from demolition and renovated in 2002.