The ever-changing Village Underground wall gets a fresh new coat of paint and it's the first mural of 2016. Infamous street artist Dave the Chimp brought his celebrated cheeky Human Beans characters to the famed Shoreditch wall on Holywell Lane last week with a mural for the #NotACrime campaign, a global street art project to advocate for human rights in Iran.

Artist Dave The Chimp Village Underground Mural
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Dave the Chimp a one-time London resident now based in Berlin was invited back to the capital to create the mural depicting his human “beans” parading placards with positive slogans to raise awareness of the #EducationIsNotACrime campaign and specifically focuses on the persecution of Iran’s Baha’i religious minority. The Baha’is are currently barred from studying and teaching at universities because of their beliefs by the Iranian government.


Maziar Bahari, a former Newsweek journalist who himself was jailed in Iran started the #NotACrime initiative. Bahari said “I’m grateful that we’re able to shine a light on how the Iranian government is mistreating the Baha’is as I believe it serves as a barometer for understanding whether Iran is ready to operate like a modern and rational government,”



London-based artist and curator, Cedar Lewisohn who was involved with the London leg of this worldwide campaign has said of the project: “I am extremely pleased to be a part of #NotACrime. I believe that art in public spaces can be a powerful force in reaching wide audiences. Dave the Chimp’s piece will take a complex political subject and make it understandable for people who will see it in London over the next few weeks, as well as the global audience online.” 




You can follow the Education is not a crime campaign online by searching for the #NotACrime hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, for more information on the project stop by the Not A Crime website to read more.