Mal ‘Maser’ Hester
Protesting Against the 8th Amendment
Maser is a Dublin-based artist who was very vocal through his art about his views on repealing the 8th amendment. He quickly became considered a game-changer in the Irish art scene through his brightly coloured and minimalistic murals and paintings.
His work is very successful due how minimal it is which allows the viewer to understand the strong message underneath. So much so, that his ‘Repeal the 8th’ mural became a global symbol of the campaign in Ireland. His main purpose was to protest against Irish politics at the time, so clearly had political motivations. His work is a clear example of using art to show and spread a political message effectively.
However, his work has proven to be controversial which comes with the territory of creating political art statements. The mural was removed from the walls of the Projects Art Centre in Dublin due to its political significance. His work is successful in carrying such a strong message with such little words.
His murals have led to responses from the public when an opposing group painted over one of his murals in protest. So while Maser creates murals to protest and question the political situation, it also leads to conflict and protests from the public.