A stunning mural celebrating Cardiff's diversity and multiculturalism is to be painted over. The 'My Cymru, My Shirt' mural on Quay Street in the city centre captured the imagination of shoppers and pub-goers alike after it was painted on the side of a bar in June 2021 but will now be replaced with new artwork.
The project, which was commissioned by Adidas to coincide with Wales' European Championship campaign, saw artists Yusuf Ismail and Shawqi Hasson - who make up Cardiff-based creative collective Unify - take photos of inspirational people of colour donning Wales football shirts. Through the photo series, they aimed to "celebrate different communities, promote diversity and champion inclusivity".
It followed an earlier project by Unify - 'My City, My Shirt', which saw another powerful mural painted in Butetown in a move to encourage ethnic minority communities to identify with Cardiff and its football club. Get the latest Cardiff news sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our free newsletter.
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The huge artwork on Quay Street features Welsh creative Nicole Ready wearing a Wales away shirt. When it was first painted, she said the project was about representation, adding: "It's about people being able to see themselves, and being able to see someone who's mixed race, someone who's Black, someone who has an afro. When you don't feel represented, you know how important it is for other people to feel represented."
The mural has brightened up the street and proved popular with Cardiff residents, with those making their way up the street often stopping to look up and admire the artwork. However, there won't be many more opportunities to do this anymore, with the artists confirming that the mural will be removed and replaced as part of their campaign draws to a close.
In a statement, Unify said: "Over the past 18 months, the response to our My Cymru, My Shirt mural on Quay Street in Cardiff has been beyond our wildest expectations. As part of our photo series of the same name, it has celebrated different communities, started conversations that needed to happen, promoted diversity and championed inclusivity, creating a unified sense of belonging.
"Originally commissioned by Adidas to coincide with the Euros back in July 2021, this part of the campaign is drawing to a close. As a result, the wall is being repainted shortly and the mural is being replaced with other commissioned artwork for both commercial and community messages."
Thanking their supporters, they added: "We always understood this would happen at some stage and it's amazing it's been up for 18 months, much longer than any of us expected. We have plenty of exciting projects on the horizon and look forward to sharing them with you real soon. Stay tuned!"
The news comes almost exactly a year after the sister mural on James Street in Butetown was painted over to make way for a McDonald's advert in a move that the artists slammed as "an insult to the whole city". The artwork, featuring mother-of-two Maimuna Yoncana, originally from Guinea-Bissau, wearing a Cardiff City shirt and cradling her baby bump became a much-loved part of the community, with the repainting sparking a massive backlash against the fast food giant.
However, McDonald's apologised for the move, saying they were were "unaware" of the mural and had ordered for it to be repainted immediately. The artwork has since been reproduced on the side of a building on the other side of the road, while a block of flats is now planned for the original site.
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