New murals have been revealed in Newcastle city centre, marking the latest phase of Creative Central NCL’s programme dedicated to celebrating the city’s culture and creativity.
Delivered in collaboration with Newcastle Arts Centre, Project North East, NE1, and Newcastle City Council, the Forth Lane Urban Gallery launched in October 2024. A year later, it continues to evolve under the theme Pleasure Garden, inspired by the area’s heritage as a pathway to The Forth — once a lively green space for recreation and community life.
The newest additions include works by artists Bex Masters, Bethan Harris, and MarkOne87, developed in partnership with residents of Tyneside Foyer, and a mural by Josie Brookes created alongside Newcastle College students.
In nearby Pink Lane, the first of several new installations has appeared, with artists ALECLDN (Alec Saunders) and Millie Avis producing hand-painted murals that pay tribute to local cultural spaces and the street’s distinctive independent identity.
These latest artworks continue to expand Newcastle’s network of public art, celebrating creativity while adding vibrancy to two of the city’s most historic streets.
Bex Masters, a gilder and oil painter, has created Kundalini, a mural exploring reflection and renewal through ideas of feminine energy and transformation. Bex said: “Inspired by my multicultural upbringing and heritage, this mural explores the concept of a Pleasure Garden through the eyes and hands of a person of colour.”
Bethan Harris, an artist known for her expressive use of colour, brings her intuitive mark-making and emotional connection with landscape to the lane. Bethan said: “My inspiration began with the landscapes of Northumberland, which have always been a source of creativity for me. There’s a raw, untamed beauty there that speaks to a more instinctive, sensory connection with nature.”
Returning artist MarkOne87 collaborated with residents of Tyneside Foyer to produce a new piece exploring the, sometimes lost, natural human tendency to connect with nature and the importance of green spaces as a haven, while Josie Brookes, working with students from Newcastle College, guided a collaborative design process celebrating young artists’ voices and the importance of shared creative spaces.
Over on Pink Lane ALECLDN and Millie Avis have created murals that act as creative wayfinding, connecting cultural venues such as Newcastle Arts Centre, The Black Swan, Tyne Theatre & Opera House and NX through playful, small-scale designs.
The pieces appear across facades, gates and shopfronts as part of wider plans to introduce more public art and creative interventions in the area throughout the coming months.
Cllr Abdul Samad, Cabinet Member for Culture, Music and Arts at Newcastle City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see artists continuing to shape and enrich our city centre. Projects like this bring people together and show the value of art and creativity in making Newcastle’s public spaces welcoming and distinctive.”
The Forth Lane and Pink Lane commissions form part of Creative Central NCL, a five-year project funded by the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council and part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, investing £1.7 million to support artists and creative businesses in central Newcastle.