Street artists Bombsquad take over York building for Mind

As reported in The Press yesterday, the mural suddenly appeared on Tuesday on the gable end of one of the city's highest buildings, at 2 Low Ousegate.

Our inquiries uncovered that local street artist group Bombsquad is behind the creation which shows a bright coloured grumpy monkey's face wearing a cap of an alligator baring its teeth.

A spokesperson for Bombsquad said they had permission from the building's owners for their 'takeover' which not only includes the new mural but will involve an exhibition of street art running over three weekends from July 15.

The exhibition will take place across the top two floors of the building under the project name Educated Vandals.

The artists hope to raise at least £2,000 for mental health charity York Mind through donations from visitors to the exhibition and sales of prints and an auction of art works.

A previous auction organised by Bombsquad helped raise £20,000 for York Food Bank last year.

All is revealed - the new mural at Low Ousegate (Image: Maxine Gordon)

A spokesperson for Bombsquad said: "We believe that art has the power to unite and transform lives. The Educated Vandals event is a powerful creative platform to raise awareness about mental health while providing an opportunity for artists to share their talent with the world.

"By harnessing the positive energy of street art, we hope to raise funds and awareness for York Mind to provide a new art space that will help improve mental health in our local community.

"York Mind has been at the forefront of mental health locally since 2011 and their tireless local support makes a real difference to people’s lives. By coming together to support York Mind, we can create a lasting impact in the lives of those affected by mental health challenges."

James Shipley, community and events fundraiser at York Mind, said: "All of us at York Mind are delighted to have such amazing art work being created in aid of us and for the services we operate.

"It's fantastic to see such inspiring talent and creativity being utilised towards supporting people in York.

"We'd like to thank those at Bombsquad for organising this exhibition, and we can't wait to see it in person."

Educated Vandals official poster (Image: Supplied)

Some of the UK’s top graffiti artists have collaborated on the project which will showcase the work of internationally acclaimed artists such as RoWdY, Mighty Mo, Listen04, James Jessop, Mul, Prefab and Dan Cimmermann, along with a selection of local artists and special guests.

Doors first open to the public on Saturday July 15 and the event will run for three weekends: (July15 and 16; 21, 22 and 23 July; and 28, 29, 30 July).

A Bombsquad spokesperson said: "Both floors will come alive with vibrant street art at this rare creative union of some of the most influential artists in the graffiti world.

"Watch them transform an iconic yet unloved and abandoned space into a living, breathing art gallery that reflects the power of street art in creating positive change."

They added that some of the art installation may be be retained by the new developer of the property, which is earmarked to become apartments.

"The event will provide an interactive and engaging experience with opportunities for visitors to engage with artists, participate in a raffle, and explore a wide selection of street art merchandise in our shop with proceeds going to York Mind. Entry to the event is free but a donation will be encouraged," they added.

To maximise fundraising efforts for local mental health resources, there will also be an auction of paintings after the event by Tennants Auctioneers. Limited edition posters signed by all the artists will also raise more funds for the charity.

To contribute to the fundraising campaign, you can make a donation via Bombsquad's JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/laurent-forestier?utm_term=ANDrE9Y8Y