One of the largest pieces of new public art in London will be unveiled on Redchurch Street wall this month, as the back wall of Rich Mix becomes canvas for celebrated artist Camille Walala at the first London Mural Festival.
While the global pandemic may have temporarily closed some of our usual stages, all 600 square metres of our gigantic exterior back wall has been given over to Camille Walala’s new mural, as the largest artistic contribution to the festival, providing a celebration of East London which can be enjoyed at a distance.
Based in East London, Camille Walala’s eye-catching, multi-coloured graphic mural brings her instantly-recognisable and joyful work to this inherently creative part of the city, and fittingly, onto a building known for championing artists of the East End. Inspired by the independent spirit of Rich Mix and local shops on the surrounding streets, Camille Walala’s montage of shapes and colour palette creates a perspective bending pattern of imaginary buildings to enliven the iconic area.
Camille Walala’s artwork named ’Belleville’ will join 40+ other new murals that will be painted across London as part of the London Mural Festival which runs from 1st – 30th September.
Organised by Global Street Art, Camille Walala is joined by a number of established and up-and-coming street artists including Seb Lester and Marija Tiurina who are also providing new creative work for the festival.
Speaking in light of the announcement, Camille Walala said:
“I find Rich Mix and this area of East London so interesting. It was one of the first places I spent time when I moved to London. It is so great that this independent arts centre and cinema is still standing strong, I think it is a real institution. And I love the streets and all the local shops around there. One of my favourite areas – it is such an independent place! When I had the opportunity to do a project, I was excited to play with the perspective of the buildings. It feels like a little bit of a new direction to create an unrealistic structure…. a line of fake buildings towards Rich Mix. It is like a collage of almost imaginary or fake buildings – a Camille Walala building!”
Our CEO Judith Kilvington added:
“We are so delighted to be partnering with London Mural Festival to host Camille Walala’s new permanent artwork on our building, which we hope during these difficult times will give our community a moment of joyfulness whilst celebrating East London’s homegrown talent. At Rich Mix, we believe in the transformative power of culture and creativity and it’s great to have something to share that works from social distance, and reflects the dynamism and energy of the activity usually inside our spaces.”
Lee Bofkin, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Street Art, the organisation behind the London Mural Festival commented:
“It’s important that London Mural Festival goes ahead this year, showing the enduring nature of human creativity. It’s been a hard year for everyone and continues to be, but hopefully, we can bring a smile to people’s faces and brighten up the streets.”
Find Camille Walala’s Belleville mural on Redchurch Street (the back wall of Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA).
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