Artists to create Black Lives Matter 'mural trail' across Scotland

A new “mural trail” is to be created across Scotland to give artists the chance to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Rachel Dallas's Black Lives matter mural has been unveiled in the Shawland area of Glasgow's south side. Picture: John Devlin

Some of the country’s leading cultural venues have agreed to offer space to artists drawn from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.

Painting, photography, video and digital art are all expected to feature in the Back Lives Matter Scottish Mural Trail, which is already due to involve artists with backgrounds in Cape Verde, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan and the United States.

Described as “a dramatic, vital statement of support for Black Lives Matter,” the trail will initially be rolled out over the next week in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness, but is due to be further expanded around the country.

Edinburgh-based photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun's image he created with his daughter Lola will be going on display outside The Hub building on the Royal Mile next week.

A spokeswoman for the project said: “Art is powerful and at a time when all Scotland’s venues are closed for the foreseeable future, they can still have a voice by offering their walls and doors to be used for this dramatic, vital statement of support for Black Lives Matter.”

The Hub, the Royal Mile home of the Edinburgh International Festival, the Queen’s Hall and Dance Base are among the cultural venues in the capital involved, as well as a site in the Meadowbank area, where a mural with the message “Racism can get tae,” was unveiled last week.

The Theatre Royal and the King’s Theatre in Glasgow will both feature, while a mural by Rachel Dallas has been completed in the city’s Shawlands district. The MacRobert Arts centre in Stirling and Eden Court Theatre in Inverness are also taking part.

Wezi Mhura, creative producer of the trail, which will be officially launched on Monday, said: “We hope the trail will help to start the conversations that need to be happening now.

Wezi Mhura, creative producer of the Black Lives Matter Scottish Mural Trail, hopes it will 'help to start the conversations that need to be happening now.' Picture: John Devlin

“It’s been amazing to connect in with so many talented artists, with roots in so many different places, who have been so enthusiastic about getting behind this.”

Photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun, whose image that he created with his daughter Lola will be going up on The Hub building, said: “My daughter and I have bonded and created before when it comes to photography, but never before have we both used the medium of photography to talk about race injustice or racism.

“For me this was a new found way to have that conversation with her.”

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