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Johni Bleu
Johni Bleu Unveils New Cultural Landmark Mural in Orlando’s Mills 50 District
Orlando, FL – Muralist and fine artist Johni Bleu has completed a large public artwork on the exterior of the CVS Pharmacy in Orlando’s Mills 50 district, a neighborhood deeply shaped by immigrant stories and a rich blend of cultures, especially its vibrant Vietnamese community.
The mural spans the building’s south wall and blends Florida’s natural beauty with Southeast Asian symbolism to tell a story about coexistence, resilience, and shared identity.
The Mills 50 district, named for the intersection of Mills Avenue and Colonial Drive, is one of Orlando’s most culturally distinct neighborhoods. After the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese families resettled in Central Florida through local refugee programs and began building businesses along Colonial Drive. Over time, the area grew into a thriving hub of Southeast Asian restaurants, markets, and community spaces.
What started as a small cluster of family-run shops evolved into a culturally rich district that now includes Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Japanese influences. Mills 50 remains a vital economic and cultural center for Asian American life in Orlando.
At the center of the mural is a trio of symbolic figures: a white egret, a sea turtle, and a leaping koi. Each one speaks to the identity of Mills 50 and the natural world surrounding it. The mural spans over 45 feet in length and 12 feet in height, executed entirely with a four inch brush at most, a detail that highlights the precision, discipline, and traditional technique behind the large-scale imagery.
In Vietnamese folk imagery, the pairing of an egret and a turtle carries a lesson. The egret moves with quick, graceful awareness. The turtle moves slowly and steadily with ancient wisdom. Together, they represent harmony between different ways of moving through the world. The fast and the slow. The modern and the traditional. The light and the grounded.
This symbolism mirrors the character of Mills 50, a neighborhood where many cultures and life rhythms coexist.
Bleu explains, “The egret and the turtle don’t compete. They coexist peacefully. That felt like the right message for this community.”
The koi beside them continues the theme of motion and transformation, adding an upward energy that ties the entire composition together.
The mural builds a bridge between cultural symbolism and local identity by surrounding the central figures with oranges, hibiscus, plumeria, and tropical foliage. These elements root the painting firmly in Florida’s ecology and visual personality.
Lake Eola’s iconic fountain appears softly in the background, reinforcing the mural’s connection to Orlando.
Bleu even credited a passerby on his Instagram for suggesting he raise the height of the waves, a bit of drive-by feedback that ended up shaping the final composition.
Throughout the painting process, residents and business owners visited the site daily, drawn by the imagery and the meaning behind it. Some recognized symbols from their heritage. Others simply connected with the color, scale, and warmth of the work.
“Public art belongs to the people who live with it,” Bleu says. “This mural reflects the neighborhood’s history, movement, and identity. I wanted people to see themselves in it.”
A Note from Johni Bleu
The studio has been full of momentum this season. Commissions are wrapping, a new body of work is underway, and the Orlando CVS mural is officially complete. You can explore the full project here on the site.
Updated COAs will be sent out soon, event dates will be announced shortly.
Thanks for being part of it all.
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