Cole Brothers: Graffiti artist Kid Acne starts huge mural on John Lewis building
A graffiti artist has started work on a mural on the Cole Brothers building in Sheffield that is set to take a week.
Kid Acne is working from a platform at the rear of the former John Lewis store on Burgess Street.
The mural will state ‘Walk in your purpose and trust in the process’.
It aims to be uplifting, improve the appearance of the area and deter graffiti taggers who have defaced the listed building.
Kid Acne is responsible for murals and artwork with statements including ‘It is what it is’, ‘I blame the parents’ and ‘You couldn’t make it up’.
He told The Star: “It differs from a lot of work I’ve done due to the red tape involved in a listed building. But it’s still only meant to be a temporary, meanwhile use.
“Hopefully people find it uplifting.”
Friends of Sheffield City Centre submitted a planning application for the work which aims to improve perceptions of the area.
It states: “The Cole Brothers building is repeatedly graffiti tagged. Apart from defacing a listed building and impacting on the wider setting of the City Centre Conservation Area, the general public see this ‘scrawl’ as an indication of Sheffield City Centre being run down, subsequently call it a dump.
“Street art murals are generally widely valued and loved by the Sheffield public . A mural on the car park ramp would create interest and cover up the tagging.
“Kid Acne is an established Sheffield artist who understands and respects the graffiti tagging culture.
“As such, his murals tend to be left alone, so the risk of over tagging is minimal.”
John Lewis closed with the loss of 299 jobs in 2021. The building was listed in 2022.
Developer Urban Splash was granted a 250-year lease from owner Sheffield City Council in 2024.