Eco Mural 3: Arowana

Location: Red Lotus Spa, Philadelphia, PA
Artist: Designed, illustrated, and painted by Olivia Losee-Unger

Asian Arowana, Red Lotus Spa, Philadelphia,

Infamous and Expensive

Asian Arowanas are freshwater bony fish that are native to the lakes, slow-moving rivers, forested wetlands and swamps of Southeast Asia. Since the 1970s, Asian Arowanas have caught the attention of aquarists internationally for their captivating scales and brilliant colors. Arowanas have become infamous for being the most expensive fish in the world; however, the economy surrounding their breeding and purchase has failed to benefit their native habitat.

Unchanged for Millions of Years

Arowanas are coveted for their brilliant armored scales, which come in a variety of naturally-occurring colors. They are considered primitive fish, with little evolutionary differences noted between modern members of their genus and their ancestors from over 140 million years ago. Arowanas are within the family Ostieoglossidae, meaning “bony-tongued,” a reference to the appendage used to crush prey between a bony spur and the teeth along the roof of the mouth. Arowanas breed only once a year, and are mouthbrooding fish, meaning the male incubates fertilized eggs within his mouth until they become free-swimming fry. These formidable predators prefer to dine in the upper water column, often leaping out of the water to capture insects and small amphibians. A fully grown adult can reach three feet in length, requiring large tanks to properly house them. They grow slowly and only breed once a year, making them expensive showpieces in many wealthy aquarists’ collections.

Cultural Importance

Asian Arowanas have become culturally important to the Chinese for a few key reasons. When swimming with their pectoral and pelvic fins flared, they bear a good resemblance to classical Chinese representations of dragons, leading to a commonly used nickname, “dragonfish”. The coloring of Asian Arowanas is also significant to the Chinese: the red, super red, and gold varieties are particularly desirable as they represent good fortune, health, and success in business dealings. Following a boom in the international aquarist trade, Arowanas were poached from their native habitats en masse, resulting in a steep decline of their populations since the 1970s. In 1975, CITES (The Convention on The International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) placed them in Appendix 1, the most restrictive category of regulated trade. In 2006, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), evaluated Arowanas as an endangered and decreasing population and placed them on their Red List. In an effort to take advantage of the economic benefits of the Asian Arowana trade while preventing wildlife poaching, CITES allowed the first trade of captive-bred Arowanas in 1994.

Human Impacts

Since captive-breeding programs have grown and become the standard for purchasing Asian Arowanas, wild poaching has decreased. Unfortunately, climate change and environmental degradation have surpassed poaching as the most imminent threat to this species. Wastewater pollution, oil spills, and human encroachment have devastated the Asian Arowana’s natural habitat, pushing them closer to extinction in the wild. While businessmen trade and raise these spectacular fish for recreation, little funding is currently allocated worldwide to ensure that their habitats are defended from human-caused environmental degradation.

Arowanas depend upon the same basic resources that we do: healthy forests, wetlands, and freshwater. When species like the Arowana are threatened by human encroachment and pollution, the balance of extensive and complicated ecological networks is thrown awry, threatening not only those wild species but the future of all residents of Earth. In order to maintain spectacular species like the Arowana for future generations to enjoy, we must commit to curbing our fossil fuel consumption, our waterway and landfill pollution, and ensure irreplaceable habitats receive special protections from poachers and polluters.

About the Eco Mural and Wild Medicine Projects

The Eco Mural Project by Hagopian Arts is an ongoing series of public art installations designed to educate and inspire action on ecological and cultural issues. Each mural is a meticulously detailed, one-of-a-kind piece, blending vibrant artistry with rigorous research. These murals transport viewers into immersive natural environments, revitalizing urban spaces while addressing pressing concerns about environmental degradation.

Within this initiative, the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project focuses specifically on the cultural heritage of medicinal plants. Through detailed depictions and thoughtful programming, the series highlights the historical, cultural, and healing significance of plants, fostering a deeper connection between individuals and the natural world.

The Eco Mural Project is rooted in the belief that reconnecting communities with nature can profoundly impact mental and physical health. These murals showcase the beauty of local flora and fauna, enlivening public spaces and encouraging residents to see their environment in a new light. This engagement inspires a sense of pride, belonging, and collective responsibility for the natural world. To enhance accessibility, each mural includes a scannable QR code linking viewers to a webpage that provides detailed information about the artwork, the plants featured, and their historical and cultural significance. These pages also honor Indigenous histories by sharing the uses, markers, and cultural associations of the depicted flora and fauna.

Community-Driven Programming and Collaborations

Hagopian Arts amplifies the impact of its murals through live events, educational initiatives, and community partnerships that engage people across generations and cultures.

Hagopian Arts transforms urban landscapes through art that bridges the worlds of ecology, education, and cultural heritage. Each mural is a portal into the hidden wonders of the natural world. By blending intricate artistry with educational outreach, Hagopian Arts inspires communities to rediscover the beauty and importance of the environment they call home.

Honoring Indigenous Histories and Local Ecosystems
A standout project in the Wild Medicine Series is Eco Mural 21 at Bartram’s Garden, a series of freestanding mini murals showcasing medicinal plants historically used by the Lenni Lenape people. Designed with community input, the murals feature local flora, Lenape beadwork patterns, and depictions of children on the riverbank where passionflowers grow.

Hagopian Arts conducted extensive research into Bartram’s Garden’s historical catalog to honor the Lenape people’s contributions and highlight the cultural significance of the plants. At the unveiling event on September 15th, Melaney Gilchrist, a West Philadelphia herbalist, and mindfulness yoga practitioner Nakesha Moore of Breathe Moore led workshops for community families. These sessions explored the medicinal properties of the plants while fostering connections between art, history, and wellness practices.

Through its murals and programming, Hagopian Arts creates vibrant spaces for education, inspiration, and dialogue. The Eco Mural Project bridges art and environmental advocacy, encouraging communities to cherish their local ecosystems and honor the cultural and historical ties that bind them to the natural world.

Wild Medicine: A Multidimensional Creative Experience

This live event combined public art, botanical installations, body-painted models, and performance art to merge the worlds of creativity and herbal wisdom. Hosted in collaboration with women artists, herbalists, and grassroots organizers, the event invited participants to explore the healing connections between art and nature.

Ancient Ancestral Connections

Eco Mural 18: Women’s Wild Medicine celebrates the ancestral bond between women and medicinal plants, featuring women from diverse cultural backgrounds alongside flora from their heritage. Installed at Penn OB/GYN, the mural also serves as a pilot for the Women’s Wild Medicine Initiative, a community-driven effort that highlights the healing power of native plants and their historical ties to women.

Wild Medicine Coloring Journal and Foraging Guide

In collaboration with educator and illustrator Katie Lillard, Hagopian Arts produced the Wild Medicine Journal and Coloring Illustration Booklet, inspired by the two murals created for Wild Medicine Eco Mural 15: Mugwort, Mullein, and Mallow. The booklet features twenty medicinal plants rendered in Hagopian Arts’ signature style, blending pattern, naturalism, and realism.

Hagopian Arts distributed the journal and accompanying foraging guides to schools and community organizations to introduce youth aged 3-18 to ecological awareness in both traditional and nontraditional learning settings. These resources were also shared during a mural unveiling, empowering community members to safely connect with wild plants and explore their uses in daily life.

Highlighting Interconnectivity: Eco Mural 20
As part of the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project, Hagopian Arts created Eco Mural 20: Artelo to celebrate the interdependent relationships between plants, pollinators, and human communities. This mural was a collaborative effort with Square Roots Collective and 14 other public artists contributing uniquely to the Artelo hotel project. While each artist brought a distinct vision to the hotel’s art-filled rooms, Hagopian Arts focused on the ecological and cultural themes central to the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project.

To expand its reach, Hagopian Arts hosted interactive workshops that engaged community members in the creative process: At Hyacinth Montessori School in West Philadelphia, children aged 6–12 participated in a painting workshop, learning about local flora and pollinators while contributing sections to the mural. This activity incorporated yoga and mindfulness practices led by Breathe Moore, blending creativity and well-being.

At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, community members painted portions of the mural while learning about the featured species and their roles in local ecosystems.

In September 2024, Hagopian Arts partnered with the Kennett Trails Alliance and Artelo for a public mural painting event during the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Kennett Square. Using a paint-by-number system and hand-mixed colors, participants painted sections inspired by the flora, fauna, and geometric patterns of Eco Mural 20. The mural, once finalized by Hagopian Arts, will be installed in Kennett Square in 2025, further expanding its impact and reach.

Related Projects

Eco Mural 11: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

Located in West Philadelphia, John Heinz serves both as a state funded zone of protection for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable wildlife, and as an educational hub for students and residents across Philadelphia County. John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum was founded in 1972 after lobbying by concerned citizens as the last local marsh was threatened by industrial expansion. When settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1600s, a process of draining and filling the marshland to create grazing land for livestock reduced the size of marsh from approximately 5200 acres to just under 350 by the 20th century. John Heinz was founded to protect this last remaining swath of marshland and an additional 1000 acres of woods, meadow, and mud flats that surround it.

Eco Mural 10: Channel-Billed Toucan

Of all the wonderful creatures that inhabit the Amazon rainforest, one of the most distinct and well-known is the toucan. The most vulnerable toucan species is called the Channel-Billed, and Hagopian Arts is excited to shine a light on this lesser-known tropical bird. The Channel-Billed Toucan can be identified by the soft grooves that run down the sides of its iconic beak and its dazzling black, red, and orange plumage. Toucans like this one range from Central America all the way to northern Argentina, with their concentration being highest in the humid lowland forests of Bolivia.

Eco Mural 17: Cecropia, Luna, Buckeye

Amidst the rich patchwork of Pennsylvania’s flora and fauna, few inspire more wonder or enchantment than our native butterflies and moths. With their vibrant colors and patterning, delicate forms, and graceful flight, these winged mosaics have captivated our collective imagination for centuries. Moths and butterflies are both members of the order Lepidoptera, a name derived from the Greek terms “lepis,” meaning scale, and “pteron,” meaning wing. In fact, all moths and butterflies are entirely covered in tiny scales! Another defining feature of Lepidopteran species is complete metamorphosis, meaning they undergo distinct life stages, each completely different from one another. Butterflies and moths have a symbiotic relationship with the native flora, meaning a close, long-term interaction, in which each organism is mutually benefited.

Eco Mural 9: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Through a partnership with Cedar Park Neighbors and University City District, a large-scale version of our butterfly panel from the Eco Mural Project 2: Symbiosis mural was placed in the pedestrian triangle at Cedar Park in West Philadelphia. We are so pleased to have an Eco Mural at ground level for children and residents to interact with and enjoy.

Partnership Links:

Red Lotus Spa

Learn More & Get Involved:

Wetlands International

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

World Wildlife Federation - Southeastern Asia

IUCN - Biodiversity

Synchronicity Earth - Freshwater Program

International Rivers