Gortin artist wins accolade following eye-catching street mural

AN eye-catching painting by Gortin native street artist, Eoin McGinn, has been selected as one of Graffiti Art Magazine’s renowned ‘Murals Of The Year’.

Eoin McGinn, also known as Emic, painted a sunflower in tribute to Ukrainians displaced due to the invasion by Russia, which has received widespread praise.

Graffiti Art Magazine’s Guide to Urban Contemporary Art 2022 showcases 12 murals of the year.

The murals were compiled by ‘Street Art Cities’, a website and mobile app dedicated to excellence in the art form.

Each month, Street Art Cities runs a ‘Best Of’ competition, which features a shortlist of 100 newly-painted murals that fans, photographers, bloggers and critics vote on.

Eoin’s sunflower was picked from the 100 shortlisted murals for March.

Practicing as a street artist since 2013, Eoin said he was ‘honoured’ to be included in the shortlist, along with some of the world’s best murals painted this year.

“With art, the success is always in the making of the work,” he explained. “But, it was a nice surprise to be included in the shortlist in the first place; to come out on top was something I never would have expected.

“The mural was painted without a budget to raise money for charity that myself and a group of residents in the Holylands put together.

“The group got in touch about doing something to show solidarity with Ukrainians,” he added. “We had worked together on another project, so there was a good level of trust between us.

“They were happy to give me creative freedom which I was very thankful for.”

Eoin’s mural is located on Harrow Street in the Holylands, Belfast, and is one of a number of new murals popping up in the area.

Local resident, Brid Ruddy, who has been involved with regeneration in the area since lockdown, said that ‘co-working with Eoin has brightened and lightened her task’.

“It has highlighted that art is integral to regeneration,” she said. “It challenged the negative image of the Holylands in Belfast, and enabled us to express support for Ukraine through a beautiful dramatic sunflower that is living art.

“We love it, and the increased number of people travelling to see the mural appear to love it too!”

To see Eoin’s full portfolio of work, please visit ‘www.emicartist.com’.