This Saturday marks what would have been the 80th birthday of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991. In honour of the special occasion, Wembley Park has revealed a brand-new artwork tribute at the Spanish Steps, at the site of the venue where he performed 1985’s iconic Live Aid set with Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
The announcement shared: “The anamorphic mural, hand-sprayed and applied to vinyl, I’m Mr. Mercury, created by renowned British street artist Frank Styles, transforms Wembley Park’s Spanish Steps, the key pedestrian link between two of the UK’s most iconic live venues – Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley, formerly Wembley Arena – where band frontman Mercury performed multiple times with Queen.”
The announcement continued: “Taking centre stage across the Spanish Steps, the bespoke mural comprises an iconic monochromatic image of Mercury, against a vivid backdrop of colour and graphic elements inspired by his life, passions and artistic identity. Frank Styles painted I’m Mr. Mercury as four separate works, then composed them into a single anamorphic image applied across all 58 Spanish Steps.
“The mural is 30ft tall, but it only exists from one place: a yellow circle marked on the ground opposite the Steps. Stand there and the fragments lock into Freddie Mercury’s face. Move a few paces in any direction and it breaks back into colour and line.
“The graphic representations within the wider artwork tell of the man himself outside of his performer persona. A symmetrical abstract across the steps features koi carp to represent Freddie’s life-long love of Japan and are a nod to his London home which featured, in pride of place, a Japanese garden and pond.
“The winged female figures nod to Mercury’s Virgo star sign. Freddie used the same motif on the Queen crest, which he designed himself, combining the band members’ zodiac signs into a single emblem. Selected lyrics from Mercury’s song catalogue and quotations from the artist himself rise across the 58 Spanish Steps towards Wembley Stadium, tracing a symbolic journey from the private man behind the performer to the global icon he became.”
Frank Styles, the renowned street artist who created I’m Mr. Mercury, shared: “It’s been an honour to once again work with Wembley Park to deliver this tribute to the one and only, Freddie Mercury. As a trained graphic designer himself, Freddie was very aware and precise about the visual feel and so I have endeavoured to follow his ethos in the conscious creation of this mural.”
Jim Beach, Queen’s longtime manager and Mercury Phoenix Trust co-founder alongside Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, added: “Freddie was known to millions around the world as the frontman of Queen but off stage, he was a quiet and humble man, happy at home surrounded by the things he loved most. ‘I’m Mr. Mercury’ perfectly captures the beautiful complexity of Freddie, with his captivating portrait drawing people into his world as he did so magically during his life.”
The installation is free to view 24 hours a day and runs until December 2026.
