Australian artist transforms Glasgow city centre tenement with huge mural of mother of St Mungo

An Australian artist has transformed a tenement in Glasgow city centre with a huge new mural.

The new artwork of St Enoch, the mother of St Mungo, has been completed in the Merchant City on the back of a tenement building on High Street and can be seen from George Street.

The art celebrates St Enoch, the mother of Glasgow’s patron saint, whose own mural can be found 200 metres away on High Street.

The previous mural, which featured St Enoch feeding the infant St Mungo, was lost as a result of necessary remedial works undertaken by the landlord.

The previous mural featured St Enoch feeding the infant St Mungo Google Maps

Artist Smug took inspiration from Rebecca Sharp’s poetry play Maiden Mother Mage to show St Enoch in her later years in Glasgow.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for city centre recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: “The earlier St Enoch mural was a popular part of the City Centre Mural Trail, and we were keen – when working with the artist – to see something new that would pay tribute to a key character in the very early days of Glasgow.

“I am sure the striking new mural of St Enoch, appropriately placed in Glasgow’s historic heart, will prove to be as popular as its predecessor.”

The new mural of St Enoch depicts her in later life Glasgow City Council via Supplied

Smug, originally from Australia but based in Glasgow, is widely recognised for his photorealistic murals, including the modern portrait of St Mungo, on High Street, now a local landmark and a highlight of the trail.

He said: “It’s been surprising and humbling to watch the rise in popularity of street art over the years. It brings life to spaces people walk past every day.

“If someone pauses and feels something, has some sort of connection to the artwork, that’s powerful. When a mural tells a story or connects with its environment, it can be transformative.

“Glasgow has always had a strong graffiti and street art culture. It’s raw, expressive, and usually speaks to what’s going on in society.

“My journey started with graffiti and is very much intertwined between the two subcultures. Murals build on that graffiti tradition but also offer a different kind of platform. They allow for bigger, bolder statements that can speak to a wide audience.”