American muralist JEKS ONE traveled across the ocean to bring his hyperrealistic style to the walls of Glasgow. Created in the riverside district of Govan, the mural honors celebrated Scottish activist Mary Barbour. As a political activist, magistrate, and local councillor, Barbour was a prominent figure in the first half of the 20th century. JEKS ONE was charged with capturing her spirit on a wall that came together quickly.
Local arts organization Yardworks spearheaded the project, getting logistics, permits, and community buy-in over the course of a week. From there, JEKS ONE stepped in, creating two sketches for the mural—one showing a young Barbour and another showing an older version. After getting the go-ahead to create the younger version, JEKS ONE got to work, taking just four and a half days to paint his vision.
On one side of the finished mural, we see a young woman’s eyes raised to the sky. Given that there were no usable photos of Barbour for JEKS ONE to work from, she is not an exact depiction of the activist, but rather an embodiment of her spirit. In the foreground, a purple thistle, Scotland’s national flower, places her as a patriot who fought for the rights of her people.
The other half of the wall is dedicated to a protest scene that recalls her work fighting rising rents in the city. She was a leader in the 1915 Glasgow rent strike, gathering a group of women who became known as “Mrs Barbour’s Army” to protest and effect change. By dedicating half the mural to the protest scene, JEKS ONE is acknowledging the great importance of her community work. The composition works successfully because it emphasizes the Barbour portrait and, thanks to a clever use of perspective, draws us into the protest.
For JEKS ONE, working on such an important mural is a meaningful way to give back to the community and, hopefully, make an impact.
“I want it to give the younger generation inspiration to speak out about injustices,” he shares when asked what he hopes people will take away from the work.
“I am very vocal about human and civil rights, so I know how it can put you in the targets, especially on social media. It takes guts to speak up and speak out, so I wanted to create a beacon of strength for the community, regardless of their knowledge of Mary Barbour’s historical contributions.”
American muralist JEKS ONE traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to bring his hyperrealistic style to the walls of Glasgow.
The mural honors celebrated Scottish activist Mary Barbour, who worked to better human rights in the early 20th century.
“I wanted to create a beacon of strength for the community, regardless of their knowledge of Mary Barbour’s historical contributions.”
