It’s a strikingly beautiful image.

Irish street artist and activist Joe Caslin has completed his latest work ‘Joyce’ in North Cork, where a large-scale monochrome portrait of a smiling mother and a sleeping child has been unveiled on Mallow Castle.

Caslin, who is best known for his beautifully rendered pencil drawings, presented outdoors at a massive scale, worked with Cork Migrant Centre and families who are seeking asylum in Ireland to create two new artworks entitled A Story of Home as part of Cork Midsummer Festival.

A group of 35 women from diverse backgrounds were given the opportunity to share their experiences, finding connections with other members of the group, and exploring creative ways that their stories could be represented.

Meet Joyce 🤩 @joecaslin new artwork on Mallow Castle. The temporary mural was created as part of @artscouncil_ie funded project A Story of Home with @glucksman and 35 women from @CorkMigrant
Thanks to @Corkcoco @CorkCountyArts for all the support 🙏https://t.co/pypSq7RBmk pic.twitter.com/tnT9GCxsws

— Tadhg Crowley (@crowley_tadhg) July 24, 2022

The first piece, on Sullivan’s Quay in the city, is a portrait of Salamah, one of the women who took part in the project with her daughter, Reem.

📸Sullivan’s Quay has a beautiful new addition in the shape of Salamah, pictured here (both in mural-form and in-person!) with her family and Joe Caslin, the artist.

‘Story of Home’ is part of @CorkMidsummer Festival – and what a fantastic part it is! pic.twitter.com/rPppi6B5fI

— The Glucksman (@glucksman) June 22, 2022

Curated by Tadhg Crowley, The artworks will remain on display until September 2022.

Image: Tadhg Crowley