A brand new mural which celebrates Liverpool’s Chinese community is taking pride of place in the city centre.
Located in Chinatown’s Great George’s Square, the 50-metre wide and two-metre high spray-painted artwork is a striking red, yellow and blue mural, featuring an ox to mark the lunar New Year.
The ox is a symbol of hope for communities and signifies prosperity and good fortune for all. The theme of the piece is ‘Reunion’ which not only looks to a future when everyone can be together again, but also reflects on the prejudice the community has experienced following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Working in partnership with local Chinese community groups, Writing on the Wall and Pagoda Arts facilitated workshops to create the final design. European funding from CreArt, enabled French artists Alexis Le Pasteur and Lise Le Bonniec to be virtually involved in the development of the design.
Zap Graffiti – a popular organisation which works with communities across the UK in creating positive graffiti murals, has worked with young people to bring the design to life and the results will be officially unveiled by the community on Monday (29 March).
Culture Liverpool has supported the new artwork which was produced with Covid-safe guidelines in place.
Acting Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:
“Not only will this be a welcome, eye-catching addition to Liverpool’s Chinatown, it will also draw attention to the long heritage of the Chinese community in the city.
“It’s a real celebration of their accomplishments and contributions to the region’s cultural scene, and at the same time it is a display of solidarity with the Chinese community after what has been a difficult time for many.”
Chief Executive of Pagoda Arts, Zi Lan, said:
“The Chinese community are excited to showcase their roots and look forward to seeing the finished artwork. We are proud of our heritage and being accepted as part of Liverpool culture.”
Co-Director of Writing on the Wall Madeline Heneghan, said:
“It’s been a pleasure to work with the Chinese community on this international collaboration. Through the aid of digital technologies, creative ideas have been shared across borders and the result is stunning.
“We have been able to bring all ages together in creative activities, developing skills and creating partnerships and networks that will have an enduring legacy.”
Artist, Alexis Le Pasteur, said:
“For our first project abroad it was an honour to work with the Chinese community. In these harsh times we feel cohesion is what matters most. It was really interesting to work and share with the community in order to tell their story and show that they belong in Liverpool. We also liked to work with a British artist as we realised even though we are from different countries we share the same values.”
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