A 30ft portrait of Freddie Mercury has been unveiled across the 58 Spanish Steps at Wembley Park, creating a free outdoor artwork ahead of what would have been the Queen singer’s 80th birthday on Saturday 5 September.
Called I’m Mr Mercury, the temporary installation is by British street artist Frank Styles and is on Wembley Park Boulevard, between Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley. Wembley Park says it can be viewed at any time, without charge, until December 2026.
The work is a new addition to the Wembley Park Art Trail and was developed with support from Mercury’s Estate and his long-time manager, Jim Beach. Its unveiling on 3 September is the material update: this is an artwork now in place for the public to visit, rather than an announcement of a future commission.
A portrait designed to shift as people move
The piece is anamorphic, meaning it has been deliberately divided and distorted across the staircase so that it resolves into a single portrait only from a particular spot. Wembley Park advises visitors should stand at the marked viewing point around 65ft from the foot of the central steps to see the full face. From elsewhere, its components separate into colour, line and graphic detail.
Styles made the image as four separate parts before they were composed across all 58 steps. The artwork is hand-sprayed and applied to vinyl. Its 30ft height refers to the full stepped composition, not a conventional flat-wall mural.
The wider design includes koi carp, winged figures and selected lyrics and quotations connected with Mercury’s life and work. Wembley Park says the koi reflect his interest in Japanese art and culture, while the figures refer to the Virgo imagery also used in the Queen crest that Mercury designed. Those details are intended to reveal themselves close up, while becoming part of the face at the designated viewing point.
Why the Wembley setting matters
The location places the new work in the area most closely associated with some of Queen’s major London performances. Mercury appeared with the band at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in July 1985, and Queen returned to the stadium for two sold-out Magic Tour concerts the following year. Queen had also played the neighbouring arena ten times between 1978 and 1984, according to the official account of the installation.
That history is the reason the artwork is situated on the pedestrian route between the stadium and arena rather than at a museum or gallery. It brings a temporary, outdoor tribute into a space used by concertgoers, residents and people walking through Wembley Park. The marked perspective point also makes the viewing experience part of the work: the complete portrait is visible from one place rather than from every approach.
Further reporting also confirmed the 3 September unveiling, the artist, the scale and the December end date. This reporting supports the venue’s and rights-holder’s descriptions of the commission and its public-access arrangements.
What visitors need to know
The Spanish Steps are on Wembley Park Boulevard, between Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley. Wembley Park says the outdoor installation is free to visit 24 hours a day. There is no indication in the published visitor information that entry needs to be booked, but the key practical point is to use the marked viewing position rather than judging the work only while climbing the steps.
- Artwork: I’m Mr Mercury, an anamorphic portrait by Frank Styles.
- Location: the Spanish Steps on Wembley Park Boulevard.
- Access: free outdoor viewing, with the organiser listing 24-hour access.
- Run: from September until December 2026, according to Wembley Park.
The temporary nature of the commission is important. It should not be described as a permanent Mercury memorial, and the singer’s birthday falls on 5 September rather than on the unveiling date. Visitors planning a later trip should check current official information before travelling, as public-art schedules can change.
What happens next
The mural is now available to view through the autumn, with December given as its planned end point. For Wembley Park, the immediate next stage is public use of the space: people can see the portrait from the marked spot, then inspect the separate visual elements as they move around the staircase. For fans, it offers a short-lived new focal point in the London setting linked to Mercury and Queen’s Wembley performances, timed to the 80th anniversary of his birth.
