Unify, an art collective in Cardiff, Wales, recently painted a mural on a local wall to showcase the history of multiculturalism in the area through football.
The artwork features a photograph of a real person and is a tribute to a former Welsh footballer.
As the mural reached the end of its display, the group’s leader, Yusuf, spoke about the significance of the mural and the use of real people in the artwork.
He also expressed pride in the mural’s impact and mentioned the group’s future projects.
An advertisement has covered a mural in Cardiff that honoured the diversity and multiculturalism of Wales, created by art collective Unify and commissioned by Adidas to mark Wales’ Euro 2020 campaign.
The new advertisement features Welsh rugby player George North for the watch company Breitling. Despite the temporary mural for the Adidas campaign, the wall owners graciously allowed it to remain for nearly two years after the tournament ended in 2021.
Yusuf Ismail, the co-founder of Unify, expressed pride in the significance of the mural to the city.
However, with the mural now being painted over, Yusuf expressed disappointment in the loss of the artwork that showcased the diversity and unity of Wales.
He hoped that the replacement advertisement would not completely erase the impact and message of the “My Cymru My Shirt” mural.
The art collective remains committed to creating meaningful and impactful pieces that bring people together and highlight important issues, such as diversity and multiculturalism.
Yusuf stated that the goal of the mural was to display the present and historical multiculturalism in Wales through football. The mural is a tribute to George Berry, a former Welsh footballer from the early 1980s, and features a photograph of Nicole Ready from Cardiff.
Yusuf mentioned that not many people are aware of the presence of black players in Wales’ football team in the past.
Despite many murals being painted on the wall, Yusuf feels that this one stands out as it significantly impacts Welsh and football culture.
Yusuf emphasized that the reason for using real people and fans instead of famous players like Gareth Bale was to keep the mural authentic.
Unify’s the previous mural in Butetown, Cardiff, nicknamed the “Mona Lisa of the area,” was unintentionally covered with a McDonald’s advertisement in March 2022 before being restored.
Yusuf praised McDonald’s for their involvement in bringing back the mural, calling them “incredible” and “very engaged.”
As the mural nears the end of its display in Cardiff, Yusuf expressed his satisfaction with the possibility of a new artwork replacing it and mentioned that his group has “a lot of exciting new projects” in the works.
He expressed pride in the mural, stating that his collective strongly understands how people view Wales.
Yusuf praised the entire campaign, saying that there was nothing negative he could say about it and that it was allowed to stay up for a long time.
The Unify mural in Cardiff showcases Wales’s rich cultural heritage and serves as a testament to the power of art to bring attention to important issues.
The use of real people in the artwork makes it a unique representation of Welsh history and emphasizes the collective’s commitment to authenticity.
As the mural comes to a close, the art collective has left a lasting impact on the city and its people, and there is no doubt that their future projects will continue to push the boundaries of art and inspire others.
