Art / Street Art

Stunning Greta Thunberg mural painted on Bristol wall

By Martin Booth  Monday Jun 3, 2019

It took a Bristol artist more than a fortnight to create a new mural which starkly confronts the issue of climate change.

Teenage activist Greta Thunberg is the subject of the piece by Jody on one wall of the Tobacco Factory on North Street, with her head partly submerged in icy water.

The mural is the latest to be unveiled as part of Upfest Summer Editions, as the annual festival takes a year off but still commissions pieces across Bedminster and Southville.

Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
Keep our city's journalism independent. Become a supporter member today.

“She’s very much in the limelight, very current, very contemporary and she’s obviously clearly leading a very, very important issue which affects all of us on the planet,” Jody told the Huffington Post.

“She has a very fearless style, tells it exactly how it is and lets everyone have it with both barrels.”

The 16-year-old Swedish environmentalist’s lone protests outside Sweden’s parliament kickstarted a wave of school strikes across the world.

Jody tried to minimise his use of conventional aerosol paint, with around 70 per cent of the wall painted with water-based paint with an electric spray gun powered by the Tobacco Factory’s solar panels.

Upfest founder Steve Hayles said: “Pictures say a thousand words, but in this instance the words of Greta Thunberg paint a thousand pictures.”

Read more: Young people strike again for climate change

Our newsletters emailed directly to you
I want to receive (tick as many as you want):
I'm interested in (for future reference):
Marketing and Privacy Policy

Bristol24/7 will use the information provided on this form to send you marketing from Bristol24/7 and selected advertising partners. Your data will not be passed onto third parties. By completing this form, you are consenting to our use of your data for marketing purposes via email.


We will only use your information in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be viewed here - www.bristol247.com/privacy-policy/ - you can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at membership@bristol247.com. We will treat your information with respect.


We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Related articles

You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Join the Better
Business initiative
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
* prices do not include VAT
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Enjoy delicious local
exclusive deals
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Wake up to the latest
Get the breaking news, events and culture in your inbox every morning

Are you sure you want to downgrade?

You will lose some benefits you currently enjoy.
Benefits you will lose: