{"id":579159,"date":"2025-11-18T22:29:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T22:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/579159\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T22:29:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T22:29:42","slug":"benjamin-rock-and-the-oasis-buenos-aires-mural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/579159\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Rock and the Oasis Buenos Aires mural"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sixteen years after Oasis last played Buenos Aires, Benjamin Rock, a painter based in Manchester, has found himself standing beneath a vast new mural of the band, fielding a stream of strangers who stop to photograph him as much as the artwork.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all a bit of a dream,\u201d he said, looking up at the finished wall. And it\u2019s not hyperbole. In the past 72 hours, his work has been shared by both Gallagher brothers<\/a>, endorsed by Oasis\u2019 media team, and celebrated by the Buenos Aires community, who helped make the project possible. The legendary Richard Ashcroft even swung by for a snap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Benjamin Rock in Buenos Aires<\/p>\n

\"\"Oasis fans gather at the Mural site in Buenos Aires<\/p>\n

Benjamin first encountered the Buenos Aires Oasis mythology the same way many British fans did: through shaky YouTube videos of the band\u2019s 2009 show. \u201cI loved the crowd, the energy, everything,\u201d he said. \u201cI told myself: if they ever get back together, I want to be in that crowd.\u201d When reunion dates were announced this year, he acted on that teenage promise, but he also decided to do something more ambitious.<\/p>\n

In Manchester, Benjamin (aka @SketchMCR<\/a> on Instagram)\u00a0is best known for his Oasis-themed paintings and mural work around the city. He\u2019s also a cofounder of @muralofmusic Over the summer, he held exhibitions at the Definitely Maybe Bar<\/a> and later at Croke Park in Dublin. While in Ireland, he draped an Argentina shirt around his neck, \u201ctrying to attract Argentinian fans,\u201d he said, although he admits he wasn\u2019t yet sure why. Back home, he put out a message on Instagram asking whether anyone in Buenos Aires could help him create \u201csomething special\u201d during the band\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n

\"\"Richard Ashcroft at the Mural <\/p>\n

The response was immediate. Within two days, a WhatsApp group he created for potential collaborators had grown to 800 members. Today, it sits at more than 18,000. \u201cArgentinian Oasis fans are different,\u00a0 they just get it,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything has been done out of love for the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

The road to Buenos Aires<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans get stuck in at the mural site <\/p>\n

Rock built a small team from the group: local artists, volunteers, and a social-media manager who coordinated posts from Buenos Aires. Sponsors in the UK,\u00a0Wonderwall Beer, Lyreco, and B4 Basics,\u00a0 covered his travel and materials. The photographer Lawrence Watson, famed for his work with Oasis as well as Michael Jordan and numerous hip-hop artists, flew out to document the project.<\/p>\n

Rock arrived in Buenos Aires late on a Wednesday. On Thursday morning, under the dense spring heat, he and four other artists began scaling and sketching the mural. The process took hours; the painting took days. Crowds gathered almost immediately. Fans played Oasis songs through portable speakers, sang, filmed, and, at times, overwhelmed the artists. \u201cIt was chaos,\u201d Rock said, \u201cbut the good kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Saturday, the mural was ready for its public reveal. On Sunday, Oasis\u2019 official media team arrived to film their own unveiling, prompting a second day of flares, crowds and celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Noel and Liam love the mural <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Later that evening, the mural appeared on social media feeds belonging to both Noel and Liam Gallagher. Rock learned of this mid-interview. \u201cI couldn\u2019t speak,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rock plans to remain in Buenos Aires until mid-December. He will then travel to S\u00e3o Paulo to see Oasis again,\u00a0his 11th time,\u00a0 and paint outside the stadium. When asked why the band matters to him to this extent, his voice shifts. \u201cThey\u2019re my life,\u201d he said simply. \u201cThey\u2019ve got me through good times and bad. And it sounds daft, but their lyrics,\u00a0we can make it happen,\u00a0I\u2019ve always believed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing under a mural now photographed by hundreds of locals and blessed by the Gallaghers themselves, he adds: \u201cAnd somehow, here I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben would like to give a huge shout-out to Maca and all the team at Mural of Music (click here<\/a> for their Instagram) and Macainconcerts (click here <\/a>for their Instagram)<\/p>\n

You can check out Benjamin Rock\u2019s work on his Sketchmcr Instagram by clicking here<\/a><\/p>\n

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