A BLACK Lives Matter mural trail has been launched across Scotland beginning this week in the capital.
Scottish BAME artists have so far produced displays in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness and plan on adding locations to the list.
Their work is a response to the recent international outpouring of support for Black Lives Matter, following the killing of George Floyd in America at the hands of police last month.
Despite galleries being closed due to lockdown, many venues have lent their walls and doors to display the “moving, powerful and diverse” works inspired by the themes of I Can’t Breathe and Black Lives Matter.
The artists involved come from a wide range of backgrounds, including Cape Verde, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan/Harris and the USA but all live in Scotland.
The trail is the brainchild of Edinburgh based creative producer Wezi Mhura, a specialist in large scale events, who pulled the idea together in just over a week.
Wezi said: “The Scottish government says it recognizes the strength in its aspirations to a more equal and more diverse society going forward, and we hope this Mural Trail will help to start the conversations that need to be happening now.
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 project”.
One of the first to go up will be at The Hub Edinburgh, which will feature art based on an original photograph by British born Nigerian photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun, which he created with his daughter Lola.
Jamal 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.”
