These 2 new murals are a window into the diversity of a south London community

Alessio Donnini · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 27

Two murals were unveiled successful southbound London, Thursday, created by local artists with the volition of representing the diverseness and closeness of the assemblage they're present connected show in.

Joy, created by artist Maisa Mreiwed, is present connected show astatine the South London Community Centre connected Jalna Boulevard, and Colourful Communities, designed by creator Aruba Mahmud is disposable astatine the adjacent South London Community Pool.

The artists were joined by metropolis politicians and staff, and representatives from the London Arts Council and the Rotary Club of London for the unveiling, portion of a task called Songline, which pairs section artworks with QR codes that nexus to euphony from section musicians.

Both works of creation usage windows connected the beforehand of the buildings they present telephone home as their canvas, and tin beryllium seen some wrong and outside.

Joy

Joy, successful its existent form, is simply a monolithic mural that present stands proudly supra the entryway of the South London Community Centre, but it started small.

Mreiwed drew it connected paper, with conscionable a quill and achromatic ink, which was complemented by vibrant acrylics, she said. 

In the lead-up to its creation, she said, she immersed herself successful what the centre has to offer to amended correspond it and the radical that usage it.

"I recovered retired that the centre offers many, galore classes, and I recovered that the radical present are diverse, truthful that's wherever I came up with the thought of tons of colour and brightness, and happiness," Mreiwed said.

The ellipse successful the centre of the piece is a awesome of unity, enlightenment and harmony, according to the artist.

"It reflects the mode this [community centre] brings radical unneurotic crossed generations and backgrounds."

The 2 birds that flank the circle, watching implicit it, are bluish cardinals, said to bring joy, peace, guidance and comfortableness to those who request it most.

"Together, they bring guardant some nature's beauty, and the spot of community," Mreiwed said.

Colourful Communities

The diverseness of the assemblage that is present location to the murals was apical of caput portion Mahmud created her enactment of creation arsenic well.

Her portion is simply a depiction of vibrantly coloured coral reefs, fitting for its caller location connected the circular windows successful the South London Community Pool's deck.

"I wanted it to bring joyousness to others successful our community," Mahmud said. "Also, coral reefs are ecosystems. They are precise interdependent communities, you could say, with a batch of antithetic organisms and taxon each cohabiting and moving together."

"I thought it would beryllium a bully message."

From wrong the excavation room, the multi-window mural casts vibrant reflections connected the water.

"I adjacent hid antithetic oversea creatures successful the artwork to marque it much interactive," Mahmud said.

According to Mahmud, who has worked connected different nationalist displays of creation successful the past, the accidental to make thing similar this is ever affirming, and is surely an honour.

"My member utilized to joke, 'You're going to beryllium similar an creator coating nether the bridge,' similar that starving creator mentality. He was joking, but it is true," she said.

"You don't ever cognize if you tin win successful the arts oregon marque income from the arts, and that's not wherefore I bash it. I bash it archetypal and foremost due to the fact that I emotion it, but to beryllium valued and appreciated arsenic an artist, it truly is an unthinkable opportunity."

That's a sentiment that's relatable for Mreiwed.

"It's a joy," Mreiwed said. "I anticipation a batch of people, erstwhile they travel and look astatine the art, they person a grin connected their face. I'm proud."