London artist Real1 (web | ig) in Kent Street, Belfast.
Replaced in 2019 by KinMx.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06259
Old Skool From 82
Belfast
The Serpent’s Tongue
The mythical basilisk is able to kill its foes with a glance, but this one – painted by Swiss artist Sonic Oner (Fb) for Culture Night/Hit The North – fights its eagle prey with the barbed name of his creator.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Da War Is Not Over Yet
Well-meaning but simplistic (if not patronising) message from a tourist: «Irish, forget the past.» Local response: “Da war is not over yet.” Response-to-the-response: “Bring it on.” On the nationalist side of the “peace” line at Townsend Street.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Mural Of Concern
Emmalene Blake (web | Inst) painted her biggest piece to date for this year’s CNBX/HTN18, in support of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland – it was approved in November 2015 but was blocked by a DUP petition of concern; the DUP now has only 28 seats but any new legislation is stalled by the current lack of a local parliament. The (Westsminster) Commons is scheduled to take up the matter on Friday (October 26th) for a second time – the bill was blocked in May (BelTel).
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06247 X06246 Kent Street carpark
Float
A Closer Look
If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be In Your Revolution
Communism and the Connolly Youth Movement (web | Fb) compete with a Menagerie (front | side | car-park) flyer for the for the attention of young people in Divis Street, Belfast.
In her autobiography, Living My Life, Emma Goldman wrote, “At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha, a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face … he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause. I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. … I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. … If it meant that, I did not want it.” (p. 56)
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06241
A Neat Little Town
Dubliner Cormac “Mack” Dillon (ig) was in Belfast for CNBX/HTN18 last September and painted a sign for the city itself.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06239 union st
Keep On Sprayin’
Keep On Truckin’ is a famous one-page 1968 comic by R. [Robert] Crumb, and the first panel in particular has become iconic. Dublin artist ADW (Fb | ig) has adapted it here to show four spray-can street artists, each a different colour, truckin’ along.
Previously from ADW: Born To Create | Keep ‘Er Lit | Labelz Are For Jars
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06236
Luck Of The Irish
These shamrocks and slot-machine “lucky number 7” are Rob Hilken’s (web | inst | Visual Arts Ireland) contribution to CNBX/HTN18. Last year he painted Banana Republic.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 