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A SCOTTISH street artist is reportedly being investigated for “vandalism” of a category A listed block of flats in Leith.
Artist “The Rebel Bear” faces backlash after an artwork of his was installed at the Cables Wynd “banana flats” without permission from residents, then removed by The City of Edinburgh Council.
The artwork, which is titled Falling in Love, depicts two lovers embracing as they fall from a building from 15 metres up from the ground.
Locals complained about the graffiti, claiming that it was “distressing” and provoked painful memories of people committing suicide by throwing themselves off the building made famous by Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting, especially to friends and neighbours of one Cables Wynd resident who died by suicide.
The Rebel Bear reportedly received permission from the City of Edinburgh Council to paint the mural, but not residents of the flats, who took issue with the mural’s design and the idea of painting on a listed building.
The council and police are investigating the incident after painting over the mural.
The Rebel Bear has been responsible for several notable artworks, including a painting depicting two people lowering PPE masks and sharing a kiss, which became extremely popular during the pandemic.
A controversial parody of the famous image of a man being approached by a tank during a protest in Tiananmen Square, but with the tank replaced by an Edinburgh tram, also sparked a lot of conversation at the time.
This is also The Rebel Bear’s second foray into Leith in just over a month, as he revealed himself in August to be responsible for the “hilarious” crime scene chalk drawing of a bench following the contentious removal of benches outside the Newkirkgate shopping centre.
A group representing residents of Cables Wynd claimed that they emphatically rejected The Rebel Bear’s proposals for the artwork due to the building’s Category A status and the nature of the mural.
Despite this, however, The Rebel Bear turned up outside the flats with a cherry picker and painted the work high on the building’s facade.
The artist did have the consent of the council, but without permission from the building’s residents, this is immaterial, as the council stipulated that he must gain the consent of residents before proceeding.
In statement, a group representing the interests of Cables Wynd residents said on Thursday: “We are aware of a mural that has been attached to the building.
“The artist did it without permission – having been turned down repeatedly by various departments in the council due to the image itself and our status a listed building.
“The image has also been quite traumatising to the friends and neighbours of a resident who died by suicide.
“Many tenants and people living around us also find the image upsetting due to its resemblance to a murder – suicide by a male perpetrator.
“The matter is now being investigated by the council.
“Senior housing officers have reached out to tenants to reassure us that they understand the sensitivities involved and the piece will be covered up and then removed from the walls soon as possible.”
They added: “We want to thank the staff in the housing department who have taken our concerns seriously and are in communication with us.
“A letter updating the situation will be put through tenants’ doors tonight or tomorrow.”
The police have been contacted regarding the situation and say that enquiries are ongoing.
Immediately following the incident, Councillor Lezley Marion Cameron, housing, homelessness and fair work convener, said: “While planning permission was obtained to install the artwork, this does not cover other necessary consents, including permission from the building owners, who are both the council and private building owners in the block.
“As a result, and to protect public safety, officers requested the artist to stop work on Thursday and will be removing the artwork as soon as possible.”
The council also added that the artwork was removed on Friday.
The Rebel Bear and the Cables Wynd House Residents Group have been approached for comment.
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