Yamagata, Japan Wyland Whaling Wall 22

History of the Yamagata, Japan Wyland Whaling Wall 22

Orca Heaven

“Orca Heaven” was one of the artist’s most unique murals until that point. Painted directly on a massive 145-foot-long ceiling, it had a Sistine Chapel perspective for what a viewer might see in the water looking up as a pod of orcas swims above. The mural offered viewers to consider the conflicting nature of marine animals in Japan, as both hunted and celebrated. For Wyland, despite the painful nature of Japan’s policies, the mural presented an opportunity to move the dialogue further.

While Japanese whalers did not hunt orcas, they still symbolized the beauty and significance of the large and small marine mammals, whose numbers were being decimated by Japanese industry. “In those days, we always tried to make people understand that these practices were not sustainable, but we had to do it our way. While other groups were fighting through their methods, our goal was to show the beauty and magnificence of our oceans and its biodiversity. We wanted people to see and understand the terrible impacts to these ecosystems that were occurring unless things changed drastically.”

Whaling wall 22

Yamagata, Japan
145 Feet Long x 45 Feet High (Ceiling Mural)
Dedicated in 1990
By Mr. Kawaada, President, Sun Marina Corp.

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