Falling in Love mural by The Rebel Bear, Candleriggs, Merchant City, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Falling
in Love
The Rebel Bear · “Falling in Love”, on the wall by August 2021 · Candleriggs at Bell Street, Merchant City, Glasgow
Photo as published on Street Art Utopia, where the post credits The Rebel Bear; the photographer is not named separately and the photo is undated
High on the side of a building in Glasgow’s Merchant City, The Rebel Bear’s “Falling in Love” shows a couple kissing as they fall through the air. GlasgowWorld listed it in August 2021, Street Art Cities mapped it with a photo in August 2024, and in 2025 the artist called it his most popular piece when he applied to paint a copy on Cables Wynd House in Leith.
4 things to know
- A kiss in mid-fallGlasgowWorld’s 2021 guide to the artist’s Glasgow walls put it simply: “A couple falling while kissing is on the side of a building in the Merchant City.” The Edinburgh Evening News later described “a life-sized couple kissing as they fall through the air.” GlasgowWorld · Edinburgh News
- His most popular pieceIn a 2025 planning application, quoted by the Edinburgh Evening News, the artist wrote: “The original piece was my most popular piece I have ever done and has been photographed and written about through in Glasgow.” Edinburgh News
- A copy for LeithHe applied to recreate the couple “on the outside wall of Cables Wynd about 15 Meters up”. The plan proved controversial, and police were called after work on the Leith mural began on 25 September 2025. The Glasgow original is a different wall. Edinburgh News · Edinburgh News
- The artist in the bear suit“Dressed in a pink bear costume, The Rebel Bear has been creating graffiti art across Scotland for a long time,” GlasgowWorld wrote, adding that he has been dubbed the “Scottish Banksy” for the stencil-like look of his work. GlasgowWorld
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Street Art Cities gives the address as 16 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LD (Street Art Cities). A 2025 visitor review places it “on the corner of Bell Street and Candleriggs in the city centre” (Tripadvisor). GlasgowWorld puts it in the Merchant City (GlasgowWorld).
- 🧭
- The Maps button uses the coordinates on the Street Art Cities marker, 55.858004, -4.2458732.
- 👀
- The couple is painted high on the wall. A 2022 visitor review advises: “Make sure you look up to see it.” (Tripadvisor)
- 🐻
- Street Art Cities calls it “typical of his humorous works around the city”; GlasgowWorld’s 2021 article lists more of his Glasgow walls (Street Art Cities, GlasgowWorld).
Sightings
- 202123 Aug
GlasgowWorld: Merchant City
- 202222 Jun
Tripadvisor: “look up”
- 202415 Mar
In SAU “Falling in love”
- 20249 Aug
Street Art Cities photo
- 202523 Feb
Artist: “most popular”
- 202528 Feb
Tripadvisor: on the corner
- 20267 Oct
In SAU “How Is That Possible?”
Every stamp links to the dated source. The green stamp is the dated Street Art Cities marker with its photo of the wall; amber stamps are reports and reposts. The newest firsthand report that describes the mural in place is a Tripadvisor review written on 28 February 2025. A later review, from November 2025, comments on the mural but does not describe the wall. The Street Art Utopia stamps show the same undated photo and say nothing about whether it is still there.
On the record
Who is the Rebel Bear – and where you can see their street art in Glasgow?
“A couple falling while kissing is on the side of a building in the Merchant City.”
By Rosalind Erskine, updated 25 August 2021. A guide to the artist’s Glasgow works, from Bank Street to Cambuslang.
Falling in Love by The Rebel Bear
“This fine piece by The Rebel Bear is typical of his humorous works around the city.”
Marker added by the hunter Holmesteader with a photo of the wall, address 16 Candleriggs, status Active.
Edinburgh art: Renowned street artist submits plans to recreate ‘most popular’ artwork at Cables Wynd House
“The original piece was my most popular piece I have ever done and has been photographed and written about through in Glasgow.”
By Neil Johnstone, quoting the artist’s planning application to Edinburgh Council.
Cable Wynd House: Police called after work begins on controversial ‘banana flats’ mural
“The artwork was a popular work when installed in Glasgow and features a lifesize couple kissing as they fall through the air.”
By Callum McCormack, on the Leith copy, not the Glasgow wall.
The facts
- Artist
- The Rebel Bear, the Glasgow street artist who works in a bear costume (GlasgowWorld, Street Art Cities, Edinburgh News) Checked
- Title
- “Falling in Love” (Street Art Cities, Edinburgh News); Tripadvisor lists it as “Falling Mural By The Rebel Bear” (Tripadvisor) Checked
- Subject
- A couple kissing as they fall through the air (GlasgowWorld, Edinburgh News) Checked
- Size
- “A life-sized couple”, according to the Edinburgh Evening News; no measurements of the Glasgow wall found (Edinburgh News) Reported
- Place
- Candleriggs at the corner of Bell Street, Merchant City, Glasgow (Street Art Cities, GlasgowWorld, Tripadvisor) Checked
- Address
- 16 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LD, per Street Art Cities only (Street Art Cities) Reported
- Made
- On the wall by 23 August 2021, when GlasgowWorld listed it; Street Art Utopia’s copy of the photo was uploaded in March 2021 (GlasgowWorld, SAU file). No source gives the date it was painted Unconfirmed
- Popularity
- The artist’s “most popular piece I have ever done”, in his own words in a 2025 planning application (Edinburgh News) Reported
- Photo
- The photo above as published on Street Art Utopia, credited there to The Rebel Bear; no photographer or date is given (Street Art Utopia) Unconfirmed
- Status
- Seen February 2025. The newest dated firsthand report is a Tripadvisor review written on 28 February 2025 that says it “stands out quite well”; Street Art Cities lists the marker as Active, with a photo added on 9 August 2024 (Tripadvisor, Street Art Cities) Reported
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: How Is That Possible? (8 Photos) (7 October 2026), where the photo above appeared as work no. 8, and the earlier Falling in love (15 March 2024).
- The 2025 Leith copy on Cables Wynd House and the row around it. Edinburgh News
- The artist’s other Glasgow walls, street by street. GlasgowWorld
All sources (6)
This work
- GlasgowWorld: “Who is the Rebel Bear – and where you can see their street art in Glasgow?”, 23 August 2021 (updated 25 August 2021), by Rosalind Erskine. The falling, kissing couple in the Merchant City; pink bear costume; “Scottish Banksy”.
- Street Art Cities: “Falling in Love by The Rebel Bear”, marker added 9 August 2024 by Holmesteader. Title, artist, photo, 16 Candleriggs, G1 1LD, coordinates 55.858004, -4.2458732, status Active.
- Edinburgh Evening News: “Edinburgh art: Renowned street artist submits plans to recreate ‘most popular’ artwork at Cables Wynd House”, 23 February 2025, by Neil Johnstone. Title, “life-sized couple”, the artist’s planning application quotes.
- Tripadvisor: “Falling Mural By The Rebel Bear”, visitor listing at the corner of Bell Street and Candleriggs. Reviews written 22 June 2022, 19 September 2024, 28 February 2025 and 18 November 2025 (user reviews, used only as dated visitor reports).
The Leith copy
- Edinburgh Evening News: “Cable Wynd House: Police called after work begins on controversial ‘banana flats’ mural”, 25 September 2025, by Callum McCormack.
The photo
- Street Art Utopia: photo file, in the March 2021 uploads folder; published in “Falling in love” and “How Is That Possible? (8 Photos)”.
Artwork File · Last checked 7 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files