Music and Soundsystem culture has a way of bringing people together while German Bauhaus Design is known for its clarity and simplicity. What do you get when these two aesthetics come
together? According to artists Matthew McCarthy and Gabriel Holzner, the result is a bold mural in the Downtown Kingston Art District that expresses the themes of togetherness, unity and
collaboration between cultures.

This mural celebrates 60 years of Jamaican independence and German-Jamaican friendship and was funded by Kingston Creative in partnership with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Jamaica, Kingston.

“The aim of this mural was to celebrate Jamaican-German friendship and it has worked even better than we could have imagined. So many people involved share a link with both cultures and were dedicated from the beginning to make the project work. As Gabe studied a semester at Kingston’s Edna Manley College and Matthew spend some time in Weimar, Germany, they were the perfect fit and luckily also connected immediately on an artistic and personal level,” said Sara Azadan, Head of Legal and Consular Section, Press and Cultural Attachée.

Accommodation for the international artist was also provided by the Rok Hotel and the location for the artwork was provided by Orlando Kemar James, owner of the historic Ambassador’s bar in Water Lane, Downtown Kingston just west of King Street.

Kingston Creative Kingston Creative is a nonprofit arts organization started in 2017 by a team who believe in using Art and Culture to achieve social and economic transformation.

Andrea Dempster Chung, Executive Director commented, “This is our first international partnership as all of the other 83 murals have been created by Jamaican artists. We want to see the city of Kingston leverage its heritage and reach its potential to become a truly Creative City. We envision a safe and vibrant Art District in Downtown Kingston, a Creative Hub that trains, develops and gives global opportunities to creatives. Long-term, we want to see a healthy creative ecosystem in Jamaica. We are a charity organization, so donors, funding and partnerships like these are critical to making the vision a reality. We are very grateful to the German Embassy for coming on board and collaborating with us. We recognize that Downtown Kingston transforming into a Cultural District is a huge vision, but it is certainly a vision worth working towards.”

The public is encouraged to book a tour at www.kingstoncreative.org/tours to view this and other stunning examples of street art in Water Lane in the heart of the Downtown Kingston Art District.