Rebel City Distillery have commissioned local artist Tom Campbell to paint two large-scale murals on the distillery walls. Inspired by the distillery itself and Rebel City’s first release Maharani Gin the artworks span the expanse of the old Ford Factory walls and took over a week to complete.
Rebel City Distillery is a boutique distillery situated in the heart of Cork’s historic Docklands. Founded in 2020, the distillery heralds a new wave of craftsmanship in Cork as it is the first distillery within its city limits for almost 50 years.
Tom Campbell is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice involves drawing, painting, sculpture and performance. Born in Scotland and based in Ireland, he has worked across Europe, including France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and The UK.
Fusing a longstanding heritage of craft with a splash of experimentalism, Rebel City Distillery was founded by husband-and-wife Robert and Bhagya alongside Robert’s father Brendan Barrett. Maharani Gin celebrates a fusion of Cork and Keralite cultures, from where Robert and Bhagya respectively come from.
Maharani mean ‘high queen’ and the female figure in the first mural echoes this evoking a general tribute to revolutionary women everywhere and more specifically reference to our Co-Founder, Bhagya Barrett, and the women from the organic cooperative in Kerala where we source our botanicals.
The representation of our one pot copper still and the globe are reflective of Rebel City’s mission to create great spirits that reflect unexpected connections and cultural vibrancy, as well as, our values of curiosity, community, quality and transparency.
The second mural is more abstract and whimsical with a bird motif alluding to the location in the docklands.
Talking about the commission Tom Campbell said:
“I really enjoyed painting this mural for Rebel City and am looking forward to doing more murals for others in the future”
In the coming weeks Rebel City Distillery will be opening for tours and tastings and you will be able to see this magnificent piece of art.
