Edinburgh Playhouse unveils stunning Black Lives Matter artwork designed by local teenager

The Edinburgh Playhouse is the latest venue to show its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, after the Greenside Place auditorium unveiled a stunning artwork designed by an 18-year-old local.

Just days after the Usher Hall presented a striking mural by Scottish artist Abigail Mills (aka Abz), The Playhouse joined the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail.

There are now over 20 artworks across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, with over a dozen more planned in the coming weeks.

The Playhouse's mural was designed by 18-year-old Tony Kalisa.

The Playhouse's mural was designed by 18-year-old Tony Kalisa, who was born in Uganda but has lived in the Capital for the last four years.

A self-taught graphic designer, Tony says his “creative practice is continually inspired by his mother, who raised him as a single parent with African values in a Western context”.

Earlier this week, The Playhouse said they were proud to become part of Scotland's Black Lives Matter Mural Trail, adding that “the trail shows how art can be at the forefront of stimulating conversation, while adding energy and positivity to our closed venues.”

The organisers of the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail described the artwork as: “Colourful, challenging, moving, powerful and diverse – inspired by the themes of I Can’t Breathe and Black Lives Matter."

All the murals across Scotland have been created by artists from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds – all living in Scotland.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director