The George Floyd mural has been replaced in the Northern Quarter

The George Floyd mural in the Northern Quarter has now been replaced by another piece of artwork.

The mural had been in Stevenson Square since June 2020, after it was painted by local artist Akse P19 in the weeks following Mr Floyd’s death.

Sadly the mural was repeatedly covered by racist graffiti while it was up, with several incidents in which the painting was vandalised and Akse had to repaint it.

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It’s now been covered by a new piece of street art by Manchester-based artist Folie, with the new painting showing a hand reaching for the sun between clouds.

The painting is located on a site managed by Outhouse MCR, a project that has seen public art being created in Manchester for more than a decade now.

Folie took to Instagram to share the artwork, thanking Outhouse MCR ‘for inviting me to come and paint this pretty poignant spot’.

FOLIE / Facebook

They added: “When I read the theme was growth it made me think of the general feeling in the air at the moment.. how to continue, how to process and progress, how do we move on?

“Especially considering the piece I was covering, I wanted it also to offer a moment of reflection. I decided to design a piece based around a latin phrase “DESTITUTUS VENTIS REMOS ADHIBE” which translates to ‘If the winds will not serve, take to the oars’.

“I hope the symbology and the phrase combined inspires the observer to consider wider points of view and to trust in themselves. The clouds represent uncertainty and the sun and moon elements consistency. The rising hand of humanity, ownership and responsibility.

“The grass and the mushrooms are the teachers in nature, where we ground ourselves, focus on health and embrace knowledge provided by the earth. Waves show the erratic aspects of nature and life, they can sometimes be rough and other times manageable, and the shining rays in both pieces represent the hope.”

You can check out more of Folie’s work on Instagram here.