Belfast city centre

Нет войне!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Protestors in the Russian Federation – 15,000 by late March (Economist) – face fines and imprisonment for holding up signs that say “Нет войне” (“Nyet voyne” – Russian for “No war”) or anything that indicates dissent from the official line on the so-called “special operation” (e.g. AP).

In Belfast, Tadeusz Tradewski’s 1952 poster “Nie!” [Polish for “No!”] (MOMA) has been updated for the current war in Ukraine – in the shadow of the bomb (which has a “Z” on the tail) is not a city but a graveyard, the graveyard of the planet. (See previously: Stop War)

An advice centre for Ukrainians opened in Belfast this week – BBC.

By Leo Boyd (ig) in Warehouse Lane, Belfast, to the side of a 2020 piece by Irony.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09930 X09932 X09931 ні війні Sachplakat

For The Football

Extramural Activity3 Comments

Before he died (in 2005), George Best asked that people “remember me for my football” and the phrase became the title of a Best retrospective. It is also inspired the life-size title of the statue of created by Tony Currie and funded by fans (Belfast Live) in front of Windsor Park (and the Glen Molly (ig) mural in Hill Street). When it was launched, the statue drew criticism for not looking like its subject (BBC | Newsletter). Soccer star sculptures are perhaps hard to do: here’s a list of ten questionable statues of soccer stars, including Maradona in Kolkata (Guardian) and Ronaldo in Madeira (BBC), but missing Mo Salah in Sharm al-Sheikh (BBC).

For an awkward painting of Best, see The Best A Man Can Get in Newtownards.

See also the new Best mural in Cregagh: Maradona Good, Pelé Better, George Best

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09767 [X09765] X09770 X09768 X09769 X09763 X09941 X09764 [X09766]

Circusful

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Circusful” is the new name of the Belfast Community Circus (Arts Council NI) which offers class to artists of all ages (web). Festival Of Fools, an annual extravaganza this year with 70+ comedy and circus performances, starts on Friday (April 29th).

This time last year (2021-04) KVLR (ig | tw | Fb) revamped the mural on the front of the Gordon Street premises with two new characters (above and directly below) and substantial changes to the third (final image). (For the previous version, see Circus Fools.)

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09741 X09743 X09740 X09742

Ukraine Has Suffered Enough

Extramural Activity1 Comment

After amassing roughly 200,000 troops along the border, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th; yesterday thus ended the tenth day of fighting. Perhaps 10,000 soldiers (both Ukrainian and Russian) and 2,000 civilians have died, and roughly 1.4 million people have fled the country. “Слава Україні!” [Slava Ukraïni!] is the salute of the Ukrainian armed forces but has become a rallying cry in the mouths of people and nations around the globe in support of Ukraine, amongst which are artist FGB (ig) and the Sunflower bar in Kent Street, Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09719 X09720

Keep The Pizza In Mind!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Combo piece by Pens (ig) x KVLR (ig) x Wee Nuls (Nuala Convery | ig | web) replacing the Gang Of Freaks by KVLR x Ten Hundred x Wee Nuls in Union Street, with an echo back to KVLR’s 2015 piece in this spot: Pizza Pipe. Official title: Patchwork Creeps. KVLR and Wee Nuls had earlier done the pieces in the windows of the Sunflower (see final image), as a demo for an audience at the August launch of the programme for HTN21 (Belfast Live).

The menagerie in the background is by Malarky.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09697 X08496 X09698 X08720