Birmingham's streets have become home to a distinctive chicken graffiti character named 'Cluck', adorned with uplifting messages such as 'love yourself' and 'keep trying'. The mystery artist behind the tags has now revealed the heartfelt reason for the artwork: a personal battle with mental health.
Cluck's origins and the artist's story
The chicken tags can be spotted across Digbeth, Edgbaston, Kings Heath, and Ladywood, appearing under bridges, in archways, on gates, and on walls. The 25-year-old artist, speaking anonymously to BirminghamLive via his Instagram account (@cluck.uk), said he created Cluck as a "symbol for positive mindset and action" while struggling with his own mental health.
"I've struggled with mental health my whole life," he admitted. "I feel like I was depressed from the age of eight or 10. I've only really just come out of depression now." The artist, who also works professionally as a mural painter, began pairing Cluck with positive messages around three years ago.
Messages meant for himself
The messages that accompany Cluck, including 'be kind' and 'keep going', were originally intended for himself, even if he didn't realize it at the time. "It was basically my subconscious," he said. "I was telling this to the world, but really, I was spraying it on the wall because I needed to listen to that."
Now, he continues to paint Cluck in the hope it will brighten someone else's day who might be going through a hard time. "I love leaving positive messages for people. I just want people to be happy," he said. "I know what it's like living unhappy. I lived two-thirds of my life sad. I'm good now, but life has its balances, which go up and down. If it goes down again, I know I can bring myself back up."
Community response and impact
Hundreds of people have contacted him over the years to say that seeing Cluck has put a smile on their faces. "I was spraying in Digbeth the other day and four people came by, saying they'd seen the chicken artwork for years and how happy that made them," he said. "I thought, that's got to be the reason I keep doing this. I'll just be the 'chicken man' now."
Despite appearing in public spaces, Cluck's creator doesn't view his work as criminal damage because he believes it spreads positivity. "In the eyes of the law, they'd probably see it differently," he admitted. "But if I stood in front of a judge and told him, I reckon he'd probably understand."
Cluck's unique design and future plans
Cluck was deliberately designed to stand out from traditional graffiti. "You look past normal graffiti because it's just normal, but not when you see characters and things like that. Cluck is his own character," he said. "He comes in many forms. The message he shares is love, positivity, happiness, togetherness and community."
The artist now has a list of people asking for original Clucks for their homes. "I've now got a list of people who've been asking me for original Clucks for their homes because they want to have these messages on their own walls," he said. "I'm planning to release a limited run of prints around Birmingham to give everyone a chance to own their very own Cluck."
Cluck, he says, is simply the message bearer. "The message is love, coming together and positivity because the world needs it right now."
