Artists from the Minaw Collective will create unique murals in Marks & Spencer stores in Dublin and Cork to raise awareness of the Her Heart Matters campaign

The Irish Heart Foundation has teamed up with the all-female Minaw Collective to bring it empowering ‘Her Heart Matters’ health campaign to life, ahead of World Heart Day on Thursday, 29th September.

Taking its name from the Irish word ‘mná’, meaning women, the Minaw Collective comprises a diverse group of artists from all over the world, currently based in Ireland.

This week four of the Collective’s leading artists will create three one-of-a-kind murals in Dublin and Cork, to help raise awareness of the Her Heart Matters campaign and encourage Irish women to make small, sustainable changes to their lives and health.

The murals will be brought to life in the windows of three of Marks & Spencer’s busiest stores nationwide, and passers-by will be encouraged to stop and take a moment to watch the murals being created in real time. Marks & Spencer is supporting the charity with a year-long fundraising and awareness partnership.

“We’re so excited to partner with Minaw Collective on these beautiful, vibrant murals. Working with these female artists is such a natural fit for the ‘Her Heart Matters’ campaign – which is all about female empowerment and women taking control of their health,” said Janis Morrissey, Director of Health Promotion at the Irish Heart Foundation.

“We are delighted to be able to bring these murals to life on some of the busiest streets in our country, and we hope that people enjoy them and take a moment to reflect on their own heart health.”

The Minaw Collective artists who are creating the ‘Her Heart Matters’ murals are Emmalene Blake (a.k.a. ESTR), Harriet Myfanwy Nia (a.k.a. Myfanwynia), Aru (aka Bubu) and Zippy. The artists have taken inspiration from the Irish Heart Foundation’s campaign as well as the many women who have shared their personal, often heart-breaking stories as part of the campaign to date.

The murals will be created in the windows of Marks & Spencer stores on Dublin’s busy Grafton Street and Mary Street as well as Patrick Street in Cork, in the days leading up to World Heart Day on Thursday, 29th September. Passers-by and shoppers in Marks & Spencer will also have the opportunity to donate and support the Irish Heart Foundation at the locations.

Speaking about the collaboration with the Irish Heart Foundation, Minaw Collective artist Emmalene Blake commented, “As artists in a female lead collective, we jumped at the chance to be involved in such an important campaign. Mothers, sisters, daughters, whatever you choose to do with your life, choose to look after your heart.”

The ‘Her Heart Matters’ campaign was launched earlier this month and revealed that one in four women in Ireland die from heart disease and stroke, meaning that cardiovascular disease kills six times as many women in Ireland as breast cancer.

From about the age of 40, a woman’s risk of heart disease and stroke increases as she moves into menopause. And yet an Ipsos poll carried out on behalf of the Irish Heart Foundation revealed that almost one-third (30%) of women do not have enough time each day to focus on their health.

As a result, the ‘Her Heart Matters’ campaign was launched which aims to encourage women in their 40s, 50s and beyond to review their lifestyles and make vital, sustainable changes to improve their heart health.