IKEA Memphis is the only IKEA store in Tennessee and the only store between Atlanta and Saint Louis. Each year, IKEA Memphis welcomes over a quarter of a million visitors to shop for home furnishings or home furnishing accessories, eat at the IKEA Bistro or Restaurant, or glean inspiration for creating a better life at home. Over forty percent of IKEA Memphis visitors travel from more than 90 miles outside of the city and IKEA Memphis is considered the unofficial landmark for those traveling Interstate-40, entering the city from the East. The store itself is approximately 275,000 sq ft, has 3 different homes within the store, parking for 800, a 200-seat restaurant and Tennessee’s largest rooftop solar array.
Ikea believes in people and in the power of people working together, leading by example, and finding better ways to get things done. This, they feel, has nurtured a unique culture that every day inspires, challenges and empowers people across the globe to make life better for more of the many. In all Ikea’s collaborations they feel it is important that their values and the beliefs in people will bring out the best in every project or mission - which is what helped inform the selection process for the mural.
Brandon Marshall’s design highlights important cultural elements about Memphis, pays homage to the history of IKEA brand and also its Swedish origins, and creates something visually unique and exciting to greet visitors from across TN.
Completed installed mural
Artist Brandon Marshall (right) with his team member Dalton
About the Artist:
Brandon Marshall is a Memphis-based artist and musician.
Marshall is a Memphis boy, born and raised. He grew up in East Me mphis, and when he was 8 or 9 years old, he and his friends started sneaking down into the vast network of drainage ditches that run under the city. The ditches were originally designed to address the problem of stagnant water and prevent the spread of yellow fever. By the time Marshall discovered them, the tunnels had become a safe place for Memphis graffiti artists to practice their skills.
Marshall and his friends were fascinated by the different artists whose work they saw both under and aboveground. By age 13, the boys were buying spray paint and trying to make their own marks. His friends eventually drifted away from graffiti, but Marshall stayed hooked. Graffiti had become a way for him to be alone in his thoughts and process emotion. Marshall spent his high school years working to improve his skills and build his identity as a graffiti artist.
