The tall concrete wall facing the Georgia World Congress Center, over Andrew Young International Boulevard, spent decades as one of downtown's blankest surfaces. It is not blank anymore.
A monumental abstract mural by HENSE - the working name of Atlanta artist Alex Brewer - now covers the western facade of the complex formerly known as CNN Center, which is rebranding as The CTR ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to owner and developer CP Group, it is the first completed installation under CTR Culture, a building-wide public art and cultural program weighted heavily toward local artists.
Brewer is a Candler Park native who got his start in Atlanta's graffiti scene and still lives and works in the city. His murals have long been fixtures along the BeltLine, and his commissions run from the High Museum's collection to global brand work for Meta, Apple and Tiffany & Co. Another towering Brewer piece - a hybrid of painting and sculpture - looms over 14th Street in Midtown at the ICON Midtown tower.
"The scale of this project, and the idea that it will become part of the city's daily landscape, offered a chance to contribute something new and bring a fresh layer of color and energy to downtown," Brewer said in a statement.
The mural sits above a renovated entrance, and the timing is deliberate. The CTR is set to begin reopening next month with a 12-stall food hall, what is billed as the city's largest bar, and restaurant anchor Mastro's Ocean Club.
"For years, this was a place experienced from the outside looking in," said Chris Eachus, CP Group founding partner. "Now, we're opening it up to the community and bringing energy and creativity into the everyday rhythm of downtown."
The HENSE piece is the opening move in a larger sequence. CP Group says a series called The CTR's ICONS Mural series will roll out in phases with work from Atlanta street-art veterans including Dr. Dax, Fabian Williams, Michi Meko and TOTEM. Additional painters and photographers confirmed for the summer reopening include Nydia Blas, a visual artist and Spelman College professor; street artist Mr. Fangs; Jill Frank, a visual artist and Georgia State University professor; muralist Charity Hamidullah; and painter and designer John Tindel.
The program is curated by Neda Abghari through her firm ASHA Advisory. "By placing artists' work directly into the architecture and shared spaces of The CTR," she said, "we're creating a place where the city's creative legacy becomes part of the everyday experience of downtown."
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published April 2026.
