Ardú reveals newest addition to Cork walls

ARTISTS with Ardú Street Art are continuing to brighten Cork as they take to the streets of the city for the fourth annual outing of the popular initiative.

Following the completion of a new collaborative mural commemorating Tomás MacCurtain on Coburg Street by artists Shane O’Driscoll and Peter Martin last month, the Ardú team once again brings together some of the country’s finest street artists for a new piece on Harley Street.

Shane O’Driscoll painted the first Ardú mural on Harley Street in October 2020.

James Earley, Tony Byrne, and Cian Walker, who have been friends of the movement since the beginning and have been painting in Cork for more than 15 years, this week revealed their collaboration in the city.

Speaking about the large-scale mural, they said that when they first met to discuss potential ideas they found each of them had been exploring similar ideas, something they said had been a “positive sign from the get-go”.

“We had a fruitful meeting wherein we discussed ideas of industry, geography, and the ever-changing facets of Cork as a city. Given its significant history as a thriving port city, we wanted to create a work that alludes to the River Lee, its movement and its importance to the trade of Cork and Ireland as a whole,” they said.

“Utilising earthy tones offset by more vivid and vibrant colours, we feel that the piece pays homage to the history of the county and its energy in moving forward as a city of cosmopolitan modernity,” they added.

The trio said that hard-edged geometric shapes make reference to the urban elements of Cork city, in combination with more organic forms that suggest links to the sediment of the river and the more rural areas of the county.

“Our aim was to create an exciting, stimulating mural that allows viewers to appreciate on a purely aesthetic level, but also one that offers nuggets of reference and inspiration for those who wish to explore more deeply,” the artists said.

For more follow Ardú on social media or at arducork.ie. Ardú is supported by the Creative Ireland programme, an all-of-Government five-year initiative.