NEWCASTLE, UK. October 23rd, 2025 – New public artworks have been unveiled in Newcastle city centre as part of Creative Central NCL’s ongoing programme celebrating creativity and culture in the heart of the city.
Led by Creative Central NCL, in partnership with Newcastle Arts Centre, Project North East, NE1 and Newcastle City Council, the Forth Lane Urban Gallery first launched in October 2024. A year on, it continues to respond to the theme Pleasure Garden, a nod to the lane’s history as a walkway to The Forth, once a popular green space for leisure and community gathering.
The latest additions to Forth Lane Urban Gallery feature new murals by artists Bex Masters, Bethan Harris, MarkOne87, working with residents of Tyneside Foyer and Josie Brookes, working with students from Newcastle College.
Around the corner, the first of several new artworks have also appeared in Pink Lane, where artists ALECLDN (Alec Saunders) and Millie Avis have created hand-painted murals inspired by local cultural venues and the independent character of the area.
Together, the new works expand the growing network of public art in central Newcastle, bringing colour, collaboration and creativity to two of the city’s most historic streets.
Bex Masters, a gilder and oil painter, has created Kundalini, a mural exploring reflection and renewal through ideas of feminine energy and transformation. Bex said: “Inspired by my multicultural upbringing and heritage, this mural explores the concept of a Pleasure Garden through the eyes and hands of a person of colour.”
Bethan Harris, an artist known for her expressive use of colour, brings her intuitive mark-making and emotional connection with landscape to the lane. Bethan said: “My inspiration began with the landscapes of Northumberland, which have always been a source of creativity for me. There’s a raw, untamed beauty there that speaks to a more instinctive, sensory connection with nature.”
Returning artist MarkOne87 collaborated with residents of Tyneside Foyer to produce a new piece exploring the, sometimes lost, natural human tendency to connect with nature and the importance of green spaces as a haven, while Josie Brookes, working with students from Newcastle College, guided a collaborative design process celebrating young artists’ voices and the importance of shared creative spaces.
Over on Pink Lane ALECLDN and Millie Avis have created murals that act as creative wayfinding, connecting cultural venues such as Newcastle Arts Centre, The Black Swan, Tyne Theatre & Opera House and NX through playful, small-scale designs.
The pieces appear across facades, gates and shopfronts as part of wider plans to introduce more public art and creative interventions in the area throughout the coming months.
Cllr Abdul Samad, Cabinet Member for Culture, Music and Arts at Newcastle City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see artists continuing to shape and enrich our city centre. Projects like this bring people together and show the value of art and creativity in making Newcastle’s public spaces welcoming and distinctive.”
The Forth Lane and Pink Lane commissions form part of Creative Central NCL, a five-year project funded by the North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council and part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, investing £1.7 million to support artists and creative businesses in central Newcastle.
ENDS