A look at the murals and installations created over the past few years.

Across Detroit, the work of Olayami Dabls continues to transform walls, streets, and public spaces into living stories.

From major downtown murals to quiet, handcrafted details behind the museum, each new piece extends his lifelong dialogue between art, spirit, and community.

These recent years have marked a powerful chapter — one defined by reflection, resilience, and restoration.

Detroit as Canvas

Walls That Speak

Detroit’s skyline and neighborhoods have long carried Dabls’ visual language — mirrors and color arranged to speak where words fall short.

Hudson Building – “Eyes See Everything Pain and Suffering Yet Stay in Place”

Rising above downtown, this expansive mural mirrors the city’s endurance. The reflective surfaces and layered texture invite passersby to confront both beauty and burden — a meditation on collective strength.
Dexter Avenue Mural
Along one of Detroit’s historic corridors, Dabls turned a neighborhood wall into a site of dialogue and pride. The piece connects local stories to a wider ancestral rhythm that pulses through his work.
Oakland Farms Installation
At Oakland Farms, color and pattern reclaim industrial space, transforming the familiar into the sacred. It’s another reminder that art need not hang in galleries to carry power.

Expanding the Story

Beyond the Wall

Even as his murals reach new heights, Dabls continues exploring material and meaning in other spaces.

The Shepherd Project
As part of Detroit’s emerging art campus, Dabls’ participation in The Shepherd exhibition brought his work into a curated environment — bridging his outdoor storytelling with an interior experience.
Institute for AfroUrbanism
A collaborative project rooted in the intersections of art, architecture, and Black spatial identity. Dabls’ contributions reflect his ongoing study of how objects and environments carry cultural memory.
Fence & Bench Installation – MBAD Alley
Back home at the museum, he recently completed a new fence and bench along the alleyway — simple structures turned into symbols of welcome and reflection. These smaller gestures echo the same intention as his monumental works: to connect, to protect, and to restore balance.

🖤 Reflection

To witness my dad continue shaping the city that shaped him is a reminder that legacy is alive — it breathes, adapts, and keeps teaching.

Whether standing before a massive downtown mural or resting on a handmade bench in the alley, you can feel the same presence: an artist in dialogue with Detroit, translating history into color, metal, and mirror.