Everyone loves this Drake-inspired mural of Yara Shahidi, including the 'Black-ish' star herself

Wendy Geller
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Yara Shahidi arrives at the Kids’ Choice Awards at the Forum on March 24, 2018, in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Yara Shahidi arrives at the Kids’ Choice Awards at the Forum on March 24, 2018, in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Pedestrians in northwest London who happen to wander down a certain alley on their way to work or school this week will have the treat of an unexpected piece of art: a beautifully executed mural of actress-activist Yara Shahidi’s face.

Wowowow! Truly amazed at how the universe is able to connect artists across art forms honored to be illustrated by @richardwilsonartwork

A post shared by Yara (يارا‎) Shahidi (@yarashahidi) on Apr 17, 2018 at 11:51pm PDT

The large painting is composed of spray paint on cinderblock and is a remarkably realistic rendering. However, as it turns out, the person who created the mural, Richard Wilson, didn’t even know who Shahidi was when he undertook the painting.

As he explains in a post on his own Instagram account, he was inspired seeing her in Drake’s “Nice for What” video and decided to make her his next artistic endeavor.

“I liked the colours and this girls look (hoops and curls u GOT ME lol),” the London-based street artist wrote on Instagram. “I wanted to know who it was so asked on here and was told its Yara Shahidi. So since then I find out shes an amazing role model for young women in particular and has a huge following.”

Wilson even admitted that he is “not really a fan” of Drake, so the painting is truly a remarkable example of serendipity. “Excuse my ignorance not knowing who she was,” he noted. “Thanks Yara for the lesson, and inspiration too!”

This is pretty crazy, a couple days ago i saw a still from a Drake video, i liked the colours and this girls look (hoops and curls u GOT ME lol) and needed to paint something on a wall cos its been a minute. So I found a little spot and painted. I wanted to know who it was so asked on here and was told its Yara Shahidi. So since then I find out shes an amazing role model for young women in particular and has a huge following. Its really cool cos this wall is pretty random, the path its on is used by Parents taking their kids to school, cyclists, some alcoholics and dog walkers. Definitely not a place i’d have painted Yara if I knew. Excuse my ignorance not knowing who she was, but i learnt a lesson that you dont always need to go big, its been a fixation for me lately tbh to find BIG walls only, but maybe the content is the key, just like everything always Thanks Yara for the lesson, and inspiration too! Thanks for the love and comments about it #spraypaint #streetart #graffiti #portraits #yarashahidi Tomorrow will go back and add the paintings title… ‘Yara for what’

A post shared by Richard Wilson (@richardwilsonartwork) on Apr 17, 2018 at 1:38pm PDT

Shahidi re-grammed the picture on her own account, saying she was “honored” to be illustrated by Wilson and appreciated the connection of art forms. Fans raved over the painting as well, with nearly every comment including the word “beautiful.”

The 18-year-old Black-ish and Grown-ish star is also raising her visibility in a different arena this week, having announced Wednesday (April 18) that she’ll be teaming with social-news publisher NowThis for Eighteen x ’18, an initiative urging young Americans to get involved politically and vote in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Shahidi has a long record of social activism for her age, with many causes championed on her social media accounts.

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