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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Tristan Cork

The Bristol landmark that's now Greta Thunberg's profile pic

She has one of the most-followed social media profiles in the world, and now teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg has changed her profile picture - to show the side of a Bristol landmark.

The 16-year-old Swedish campaigner has replaced a standard profile picture of her on both her Instagram and Facebook pages with one of the side of the Tobacco Factory in Ashton Gate.

The Greta Thunberg artwork was painted on the side of the redbrick former factory building - facing the Aldi on North Street - e.

Her Instagram profile has 2.3 million followers, and her Facebook profile page, which also now has Jody’s image as its profile picture, recently passed the milestone of being liked by more than a million people.

Climate Change campaigner Greta Thunberg's FB page (Bristol Live)

The image, painted as part of a summer of artwork around BS3 organised by Upfest, shows a giant Greta Thunberg up to her nose in melted Arctic glacier water, with a polar bear trying to swim underwater - all under apocalyptic skies.

It was completed in late May, and the artist Jody said it was the biggest wall he’d ever painted.

Jody said he found out she'd changed her Insta avatar picture over the weekend - ironically enough during his takeover of the Visit Bristol Insta account.

"Of course, it's the highest compliment to have come from her, it's an honour," he said.

Jody Thomas painting the Greta Thunberg mural on the side of the Tobacco Factory in May 2019 (BristolLive)

"It gives the work her seal of approval, which is really nice. You're always a little bit worried about how it could go down when you paint someone, and I absolutely wasn't doing this to gain publicity out of it.

"But it was really great to get her seal of approval for it, and she's done it in a good way," he added.

At the time, Jody explained why he chose to make the 16-year-old the subject of his work.

“The feedback and comments I’ve had from everyone has been incredible from all ages and backgrounds - art is always such a great unifier,” he said at the time.

Greta Thunberg has changed her Instagram profile to show the side of the Tobacco Factory in Bristol (Bristol Live)

“She has a very fearless style, tells it exactly how it is and lets everyone have it with both barrels.

“She’s very much in the limelight, very current, very contemporary and she’s obviously clearly leading a very, very important issue which affects all of us on the planet,” he added.

Ms Thunberg began the ‘School Strike For Climate’ movement, which began last year in Sweden and came to Bristol earlier this year - with hundreds of schoolchildren leaving lessons on one Friday a month to protest about the climate emergency.

For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on  Bristol Live's homepage

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