Smirnoff and Joe Caslin Team Up to Show that #LoveWins at Belfast Pride 2016
Irish artist Joe Caslin has unveiled a large-scale art installation ahead of Belfast Pride 2016 as part of a collaboration with SMIRNOFF™ demonstrating their on-going commitment to championing inclusivity and openness.
The work features a couple from Belfast who travelled to America to get married earlier this year, and is accompanied by a portrait exhibition which explores the interweaving themes of friendship, community and celebration.
Speaking about the collaboration, Caslin said, “For me, family is simply a group of people who love and help each other. Through the project I wanted to delve deeper into what togetherness means in today’s society while also celebrating partnership, friendship and community.”
Caslin continued, “I was delighted when Smirnoff approached me about working together on this inclusivity project. During this year’s Belfast Pride festival there will be an outpouring of tolerance and love, but we are also reminded that there is still work to be done to create a more open society.”
Smirnoff Europe Brand Director Julie Bramham, said, “We approached Joe because of his shared views on inclusivity and openness. We were particularly drawn to his work supporting LGBTQ equality, including his large scale street art installations in Ireland last year drawing global attention to the country’s same sex marriage referendum. We have been supporting Pride in the UK for over 20 years and we’re delighted to be working with Joe for Belfast Pride 2016. Belfast is a city rich in culture where people will be coming to celebrate good times and inclusivity.”
The project has been inspired by Belfast PRIDE’s 2016 festival theme, “We Are One” which aims to celebrate the concept of family and the wider support network of those in the community. It marks the third instalment of the SMIRNOFF™ Global Street Art Project which aims to spread messages of inclusivity around the world. The project was first launched in Tokyo, Japan in March 2016 and a subsequent installation has taken place in Los Angeles.
Born in Roscommon, Caslin is a street artist, illustrator and art teacher. He completed an MFA in illustration receiving a distinction at the Edinburgh College of Art – University of Edinburgh in 2012 and has previously read at National College of Art and Design, Limerick School of Art and Design and National University of Ireland, Galway. Caslin has worked as a secondary school art teacher for the past seven years and is currently Head of Department at Tullamore College, Co. Offaly.
He was the recipient of the Association of Illustration award for New Talent in Public Realm Illustration 2013 and is represented in collections both nationally and internationally with a recent exhibition of drawing, film and print at London’s prestigious Somerset House.
*Image credit: Neil Harrison
