Bass Festival Mural

Mural unveiled in Birmingham celebrating Birmingham's black future icons and influencers of music and culture, from Jorja Smith and Lady Sanity to Safone and T-roadz.

Bass Festival, a six-day festival celebrating the future of black Birmingham, has made history by showcasing the largest mural in Birmingham highlighting black arts and culture figures. BASS Festival’s curators Aliyah Hasinah and Rtkal curated the piece, which is officially the largest permanent mural in Birmingham. As young artistic entrepreneurs both Aliyah and Rtkal wanted to look forward and re-imagine the city with a personal twist.

Painted by Gent 48, a renowned graffiti artist and illustrator in Birmingham, the mural showcases the diverse range of future black icons, from fashion and film to art, culture and heritage.

Names include:

Alexandria Chantiluke – Fashion Designer

Amahra Spence – Artist and Producer

Cherrelle Skeete – Actress

Daniel Alexander – Director & filmmaker

Dapz On The Map – Musical artist

Darren Harriet – Comedian & presenter

Despa – Music manager

Jacob Banks – Singer / Songwriter

Jorja Smith – Singer / Songwriter

Knox Brown – Producer

Lady Sanity – Rapper

Leon Edwards – MMA

Liz Pemberton – Nursery Manager

Mellow – Catering Entrepreneur

Muna Ruumi – Music Manager

Mystry – Producer and DJ

Romderful – Music Producer

Safone – Grime Artist

T-roadz – MC

TrueMendous – Rapper

Xhosa Cole – Saxophonist

Suriya Aisha – Activist

Co-curator Aliyah Hasinah said, “We wanted to look forward and have a sharp focus on the creative but not just famous artists, people who we feel are really pushing new boundaries.” Birmingham rapper and co-curator of BASS 2019, Rtkal said, “We’ve both thought extremely hard to make sure we cover everything from art form, gender, impact in the community, personal connect and so many other things. I hope we have done the city proud with this one.”

Commissioned by BASS Festival, a six-day festival across the city supporting diverse artists in unusual spaces, the permanent mural is available to view and enjoy by the public and sits outside Suki10c, an independent music venue leading the art scene in Birmingham with a strong focus on being recyclable and sustainable.