The Nine butterfly mural by Mantra, River Market, Little Rock, Arkansas
The
Nine
Mantra (Youri Cansell) · “The Nine”, November 2020 (artist’s date) · East wall of Ottenheimer Market Hall, River Market, Little Rock, Arkansas
Photo as published on Street Art Utopia; the same night view is on the Justkids project page
Nine giant butterflies, pinned like dead specimens behind cracked glass, fill a tall wall at the east end of Ottenheimer Market Hall in Little Rock’s River Market. French artist Mantra painted them freehand in November 2020 for ARkanvas, a statewide mural project. His curator, Justkids, says the title also honours the Little Rock Nine.
5 things to know
- Nine butterflies, two meaningsJustkids, the curator, says the wall shows “the nine most emblematic Arkansas butterflies”, naming the genera Parrhasius (spelled “Parhassius”), Cupido, Celastrina and Lycaena. It also calls the work a tribute to the Little Rock Nine, the nine Black students who enrolled at the segregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The artist’s own page and the local reports do not mention that second meaning. Justkids · GraffitiStreet
- A specimen case as a warningLike many of Mantra’s murals, the wall is a trompe l’oeil: a wooden case with shadows and cracked glass, built entirely from paint. Justkids describes the butterflies as “lifeless specimens” and the piece as “a heartbreaking comment on endangered species and lost biodiversities”. Justkids
- Two weeks, freehand, after an electionTHV11 found Mantra two weeks into the job, painting “butterflies on the east side of the Ottenheimer building in the River Market”, and opened its story with “a contentious election season”. The artist’s site dates the work to November 2020 and calls it “a freehand mural”. THV11 · Mantra
- One of 12 murals across ArkansasARkanvas was run by OZ Art of Bentonville with The Unexpected of Fort Smith and Justkids. It set out to bring 12 murals by “world-renowned artists” to nine Arkansas communities, on the theme “Unity”. Mantra painted a second butterfly case, with a Luna moth, on the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville soon afterwards. THV11 · Democrat-Gazette · Justkids
- The hall is due for a makeoverIn September 2025 Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Ottenheimer Market Hall would close for a revamp, and in January 2026 a city panel cleared the way for the overhaul. The parts of those reports that we could read do not say what will happen to the mural on its east wall. Democrat-Gazette · Democrat-Gazette
Check-in guide
- 📍
- East wall of Ottenheimer Market Hall, 400 President Clinton Avenue, River Market District, downtown Little Rock (Little Rock CVB, THV11, hall address). Justkids describes the spot as “right at the entrance of The River Market”.
- 🧭
- The wall faces east and rises above the hall’s lower roofs, so it is seen from the east end of the hall, around President Clinton Avenue and Commerce Street. The Maps button points to the east end of OpenStreetMap’s outline of the hall: close to the wall, but not a surveyed point on it.
- 👀
- The newest dated report that presents the mural as on view is GraffitiStreet’s, from February 2021. The artist still listed it on his site in 2023. We found no newer dated photo, so check before you travel.
- 🚧
- In September 2025 the mayor said the hall would close that fall for a revamp; by January 2026 the Democrat-Gazette said it was scheduled to close later in 2026 (Democrat-Gazette, September 2025, January 2026). We have not found whether the work touches the east wall.
Sightings
- 202015 Oct
Colossal: Arkansas trip ahead
- 2020Nov
Artist dates the finished wall
- 202030 Nov
ARkanvas: 12 murals, theme “Unity”
- 202124 Feb
GraffitiStreet photos
- 202324 Jan
Listed on the artist’s site
- 202519 Sep
Hall to close for revamp
- 202613 Jan
Overhaul cleared
Every stamp links to the dated source. The November 2020 stamp is the artist’s own date; THV11’s report from the painting days is undated, so it has no stamp. Amber stamps are news about the work or the hall, not new photos of the wall.
On the record
Little Rock, AR
“Title : The Nine Location : Little Rock, AR – Nov 2020 A freehand mural curated by Justkids for OZ Art NWA in partnership with Unexpected.”
Youri Cansell’s own entry for the work, with the night photo of the wall.
French artist brings butterflies to life in downtown Little Rock mural
“For the last two weeks, he has been painting butterflies on the east side of the Ottenheimer building in the River Market.”
The station spells the artist “Yuri Counsell”. Mantra told it: “Butterflies are something really unpredictable and unexpected, sometimes appear as a wishing star and then disappear in the next second.”
Butterfly Mural Brightens River Market Hall
“His art magnifies nature’s smallest details, highlighting the beautiful intricacies of the world’s smallest creatures; in this case, moths and butterflies.”
The city’s tourism bureau places the mural on the east wall of Ottenheimer Market Hall and calls it downtown’s 15th mural. The link now redirects to a general outdoor-art tour that does not list it.
Mural by Mantra in Little Rock
“The Nine is also a tribute to the historically famous Little Rock Nine, a group of nine courageous black students who in 1957 enrolled in the racially segregated Little Rock Central High school, drawing national attention to the civil rights movement at the time.”
The only first-hand source for the Little Rock Nine link. The page also says: “Today, The Nine sends a message of unity and tolerance.”
Hyper-Realistic Monumental Butterflies Murals by MANTRA Land in Arkansas Little Rock, AR. 2021
“The first of Mantra’s monumental piece, titled The Nine, is displayed in the heart of Downtown Little Rock, right at the entrance of The River Market, and is visible from miles around.”
By Donna Haden, with photos credited to Justkids. Much of the wording follows the Justkids text.
The facts
- Artist
- Mantra, the working name of Youri Cansell, born in Metz, France, in 1987 (Justkids, artist’s site). THV11 spells him “Yuri Counsell” Checked
- Title
- “The Nine”, on the artist’s site, the Justkids page and GraffitiStreet. Local outlets called it the butterfly mural Checked
- Date
- Artist: “Nov 2020”. THV11 saw it two weeks in, after the 2020 election, and Colossal wrote on 15 October 2020 that he would be in Arkansas that month. GraffitiStreet’s February 2021 headline says “2021”. We follow the artist Conflicting
- Little Rock Nine
- Called a tribute to the Little Rock Nine by Justkids, the curator, and repeated by GraffitiStreet from the same text. The artist’s page, THV11 and the Little Rock CVB do not mention it Reported
- Butterflies
- Nine, all painted as pinned specimens. Justkids names four genera: Parrhasius (as “Parhassius”), Cupido, Celastrina and Lycaena. No source names the large yellow swallowtail or the other species Reported
- Project
- ARkanvas, commissioned by OZ Art of Bentonville with The Unexpected of Fort Smith, curated by Justkids; 12 murals in nine Arkansas cities (Justkids, THV11, Little Rock CVB, Democrat-Gazette) Checked
- Place
- East wall of Ottenheimer Market Hall, 400 President Clinton Avenue (Little Rock CVB, THV11, FranaWiki); map point from OpenStreetMap Checked
- Method, size
- Painted freehand, per the artist. THV11 calls the butterflies “four stories high”; no source gives measurements or the paint used Reported
- Photo
- Same night view as on the Justkids project page; GraffitiStreet credits its photos to Justkids. Street Art Utopia names no photographer, and the date taken is not known Unconfirmed
- Status
- No source reports it painted over or removed. The newest dated report of it on view is from February 2021. The hall’s planned renovation was reported in 2025 and January 2026; what it means for the wall is not reported Unconfirmed
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: Playing With Reality (8 Photos) (3 October 2026), where the photo above appeared, and the earlier 15 Buildings Full of Butterflies (Street Art by Mantra) (19 July 2026).
- The second ARkanvas case: Mantra’s Luna moth mural on the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, on the same curator’s page. Justkids
- Mantra’s own list of his murals, from Le Locle and Heidelberg to Little Rock. mantrarea.com
- How his butterfly cases are made: “Each specimen is rendered freehand before the artist adds detail and the illusory shadows”. Colossal
All sources (14)
This mural
- Mantra: “Little Rock, AR”, the artist’s site, published 24 January 2023 (updated 31 October 2023). Title, place, Nov 2020, freehand, Justkids / OZ Art NWA / Unexpected.
- Justkids: “Mural by Mantra in Little Rock”, curator’s project page, undated (the page carries a 20 June 2020 post date that comes before the painting). Title, butterflies, Little Rock Nine tribute, River Market, Bentonville mural; source of the night photo.
- THV11: “French artist brings butterflies to life in downtown Little Rock mural”, undated; written during the painting, after the 2020 election. East side of the Ottenheimer building, two weeks of painting, quotes from Mantra and Justkids founder Charlotte Dutoit.
- Little Rock CVB: “Butterfly Mural Brightens River Market Hall”, undated blog post, read on 5 October 2026 through a fetch of the page; the address itself now redirects to “Take a Tour of Little Rock’s Outdoor Art”, which does not list the mural.
- GraffitiStreet: “Hyper-Realistic Monumental Butterflies Murals by MANTRA Land in Arkansas Little Rock, AR. 2021”, 24 February 2021, by Donna Haden; photos credited to Justkids. Largely follows the Justkids text, so not counted as independent.
- All City Canvas: “Murales de Mantra en Arkansas”, undated, in Spanish, linked from the artist’s site. A rewrite of the same Justkids text; not counted as independent. The page was intermittently unavailable when checked on 5 October 2026.
- Colossal: “Mantra’s Trompe L’oeil Murals Encase Enormous Butterflies in Vintage-Style Boxes”, 15 October 2020, by Grace Ebert. Says he will be in Arkansas that month for two projects curated by Justkids.
- Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “Roadtrip! OZ Art ARkanvas mural experience is a new reason to tour the state”, 30 November 2020. Subscriber article; we read the free caption only (12 muralists, nine cities, theme “Unity”).
The artist
- Justkids: Mantra, artist page, published 6 October 2023. Born in Metz in 1987, Youri Cansell, naturalist, studios in Switzerland and Mexico City.
The place
- FranaWiki (University of Central Arkansas): Ottenheimer Market Hall, undated. Address 400 President Clinton Avenue.
- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Market Hall to close this fall for a revamp, mayor says”, 19 September 2025, by Joseph Flaherty. Free opening paragraph only.
- Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “RESTAURANT TRANSITIONS: Ottenheimer Market Hall slated for closure, revamp”, 24 September 2025, by Eric E. Harrison. Free opening paragraph only; gives the 400 President Clinton Ave. address.
- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “Little Rock panel clears way for overhaul of River Market District food hall”, 13 January 2026, by Joseph Flaherty. Headline and caption only.
- OpenStreetMap: River Market (way 130061640), outline of the hall; map point 34.7477, -92.2657 at its east end.
Artwork File · Last checked 5 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files