English rapper Aitch has responded to the news that a Manchester mural of the late Ian Curtis had been destroyed to host a painted advertisement for his new album. As NME reports, the mural – which is located in the hometown of both Aitch and Joy Division – was replaced by an ad for Aitch’s debut album, Close To Home, which comes out on Friday, 19th August.
News of the mural’s defacement was shared on Twitter this morning, with Aitch swiftly responding to the news and claiming he had not been consulted in regards to its placement. “I don’t just choose locations for billboards, this is the first time I’ve seen it myself,” he wrote. “Getting fixed as we speak.”
Artist Akse P19 has responded to his Ian Curtis mural being removed
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Aitch shared another update a few minutes later, explaining that he was working to fix it and expressing regret over the “disrespect” such an undertaking showed.
“It’s come to light that the iconic Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork,” Aitch wrote on Twitter. “This is the first time I’ve heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian.”
Curtis’ former Joy Division bandmate Peter Hook responded to Aitch’s tweet, writing, “Thank you @OfficialAitch great gesture.”
The Curtis mural had been on the building since 2020. It was created by Manchester street artist Akse P19 in collaboration with the music festival Headstock. The portrait, based on a photo by photographer Philippe Carly, had received full support from the local council.
“It had become a cultural landmark and meant so much to people from Manchester and beyond,” Akse P19 wrote on Instagram. “It doesn’t take much common sense to understand that this mural should have remained for what it represented and stood for.”
The replacement of the mural echoes an incident that occurred in Sydney in 2017 when Colin Bebe’s ‘It’s Like A Jungle Sometimes’ artwork was painted over to advertise the controversial Darren Aronofsky film, Mother!. The director noted that he was “embarrassed & furious” by the incident, not only offering to pay for its replacement, but saying that painting over an established piece breaks the “#1 graffiti rule”.
Further Reading
Wildlands Festival Announces Complete 2022/23 Lineup
Melbourne Indie Duo Grazer on Their Five Favourite Debut Albums
Peter Hook On His Past, ‘Joy Division Orchestrated’ & Learning To Let Go
