IF YOU TAKE a walk through Dublin you’ll see that it tends to have some wonderful street art. From Maser’s ‘U ARE ALIVE’ to the wonderful Blindboy mural that was painted on Andrew’s Lane Theatre to Tivoli Theatre’s carpark.

However, as we all know Dublin City Council are fond of painting over many of these murals due to a lack of planning permission, leaving Dublin a little less colourful than it should be.

Well Subset are a group who want to do something about that. They describe themselves as ‘a protest project to demonstrate the colour and life art could bring to Dublin streets’.

The group have created an 8 minute documentary called ‘Grey Area’ in a bid to get people interested in creating more public art in Dublin.

At present, the system which governs the production of large format artwork within the outdoor realm is unnecessarily complex, arduous and, we believe, prohibitive to the cultivation, evolution and progression of public art culture. We believe the reform of, or amendment to, the aforementioned system is required in order to enable the progression and elevation of this outlet of self-expression.

The group are keen to emphasize the fact that the murals and street art created in Dublin are done so with the permission of shop owners and therefore not vandalism. The documentary also points out that even if you’re a shop owner, you don’t get to decide if the artwork stays or goes.

Grey imaginations in grey suits do.

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The group says changed is needed to create a culture of urban art in Dublin in a bid to stop ‘talent from leaving these shores because the law won’t allow art to grow’.

It is evident that, if we are to abide by the existing system in an attempt to reach this goal, it would be preposterously time-consuming, onerous and troublesome. Therefore, in order to highlight the issue, garner public interest and support for the matter, and, in an attempt to accelerate the development of a resolution we feel we must take, what we believe will be, a independent revolutionary measure.

Whatever your opinion on Maser’s Repeal artwork being painted over twice, it’s fair to say that the painting over of the Stormzy and Blindboy murals took away from Dublin’s character. If shop owners are happy for murals to be painted on their walls then surely the mural should stay? It does no harm and makes our city a brighter and more colourful place.

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Given how grey Dublin tends to be, we could do with a little more colour.

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