British Red Cross and Yinka Ilori MBE Drive Kindness Forward with 'This Is Human Kind' Mural

Nationally acclaimed and celebrated artist, Yinka Ilori MBE has partnered with the British Red Cross to launch the latest collaboration for the charity’s 'This Is Human Kind' campaign. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the British Red Cross has worked with almost two dozen diverse UK-based artists who are aligned with its mission to spread the power of human kindness at a time when the nation needs it most.

At the heart of the integrated campaign is a mural celebrating the acts of kindness shown in communities around the UK since the start of the pandemic. Located on Ebor Street, a short walk from Shoreditch High Street Station, the 15ft mural is part of the charity’s This is Human Kind campaign which celebrates the deeper human connections made through supporting one another, particularly through the coronavirus pandemic. The colourful piece is emblematic of Yinka’s distinctive style: bold, bright and with a clear nod to his West African heritage. The London-based artist, who was awarded an MBE for his work in design, recently made headlines as the co-designer behind this year’s Brit Awards trophies and stage.

The 'This Is Human Kind' collaboration with Yinka Ilori is the third artist collaboration for the British Red Cross following the 'Kindness Will Keep Us Together' campaign launched at the beginning of the pandemic, which included 11 artists such as Anthony Burrill, Supermundane, and Rose Blake, and the 'I Have the Power' collaboration at the end of 2020, with work by Morgan Myerscough and 9 other artists. Ever artist collaboration has aligned with the values of the British Red Cross and helped fuel the kindness movement, raise critical funds to help those most in need, and drive awareness of the charity's humanitarian impact.

Speaking about the project Yinka said: “The opportunity to design something for the British Red Cross was an absolute honour. The mural is trying to celebrate community, collaboration and just being kind to others. My work has always been about community and about inclusivity. In art and design, making art spaces inclusive is the gateway to making people belong. The British Red Cross makes people feel like they belong, they have a voice that is listened to and heard. It was an absolute honour to be approached by the charity to and to be a part of their amazing legacy on communities.”

Yinka said that this year has made him realise the importance of meaningful connections and has developed new connections himself. “London is a lonely city at the best of times so it’s really important to get to know your communities. The pandemic really brought that home to me. I’ve made an effort to speak to new people, young and old and I pretty much know everyone on my street now.”

When asked what he thought was the future of “humankind”, the artist said: “The future of human kind is in our hands. We all have a responsibility to be kind. I think that being kind is in everyone, even if they don’t believe it, but I think everyone has kindness in their soul”

This year, the British Red Cross has reached over two million people in the UK with acts of kindness, from delivering food and medicine to providing a listening ear on the charity’s national support line. Most recently, volunteers have been supporting the NHS at vaccination centres, GP surgeries and hospitals across the country, providing support and the right information to those getting their coronavirus vaccine.

Zoe Abrams, executive director of communications at the British Red Cross said: “We are delighted to team up with Yinka, who has created this wonderful mural. We’ve seen countless acts of kindness this year - from our volunteers delivering food and medicine to those isolating, being a listening ear on our national coronavirus support line, as well as providing support to those getting their vaccine. Yinka’s work embraces the idea of community spirit and the importance of human connections, which is the cornerstone for how the British Red Cross carries out its work, helping the most vulnerable in our communities”

Shirin Majid, deputy executive creative director at VCCP, added: "This Is Human Kind is about the meaningful human connections created by supporting one another and by coming to help those most in need. The mural collaboration with Yinka Ilori is inspired by the British Red Cross supporters and volunteers who are putting kindness into humanitarian action every day in communities across the UK."

Alongside the mural, the campaign will run for two weeks across OOH, social, online and eCommerce with prints of the mural will also be sold at redcross.org.uk. The social, online and OOH activations will show specific acts of kindness from the British Red Cross in local communities around the UK. High impact billboards will be situated in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough, Leicester and Edinburgh.

The mural is open to the public and will be displayed until the 4th of July in Shoreditch, East London. The public can share their visit, take a photo and tag @BritishRedCross and #PowerofKindness on social media. To learn more about how to give or get help visit here.