Zombie Ronnie or Work in Progress? The Story Behind Sheffield's Viral O'Sullivan Mural
Sheffield's Snooker Scene Gets a Splash of Controversy
If you've been anywhere near snooker social media in the past few days, you'll already know about the mural. A large-scale painting of Ronnie O'Sullivan has appeared on the back wall of the Spot On snooker club in Sheffield — and the internet, true to form, has absolutely lost its mind over it. Some reckon it's a fitting tribute to the greatest player the sport has ever seen. Others? Well, they're saying the seven-time world champion looks less like the Rocket and more like something out of a horror film.
The artist behind the piece is Chris Ashmore, who was commissioned to create the mural for Spot On's exterior wall. The problem — and Ashmore himself has been quick to point this out — is that the painting isn't finished. He's only two weeks into what is a five-week job, and several planned touch-ups are yet to happen. That hasn't stopped the photos going viral, of course, with critics queuing up to compare the current version of Ronnie's face to everything from a zombie to Michael Jackson. One local, Frank Short, told the BBC that the eyes were "all wrong" and that O'Sullivan looked like he'd "taken something". Another resident, Shaun Spalding, was even more blunt: "His eyes are all wrong, his teeth are wrong, it just don't look like Ronnie. It looks like somebody who's got a skeletal face."
The Artist's Side of the Story
To his credit, Ashmore has handled the pile-on with considerable dignity. He explained that a key part of his usual process involves using a scissor lift — the kind of elevated platform that lets you step back and assess the full picture as you work. On this occasion, uneven ground around the Spot On premises made that impossible, meaning he was working from scaffolding without the same perspective. When the scaffolding came down and he finally got a proper look, the photos had already gone viral. "Boom — it's gone viral," he told the BBC. "I saw people saying it looks like Michael Jackson or a zombie. I've got thick skin, I'll be OK, but it didn't feel fair."
That's a fair point, honestly. Street art at scale is an incredibly difficult discipline. Work that looks misshapen up close can resolve itself beautifully when viewed from the right distance and angle — and vice versa. Judging an unfinished mural photographed at street level is a bit like criticising a snooker player's technique mid-shot. The context matters enormously.
Not everyone has been negative, it should be said. Gillian Jones, who lives near the club, told the BBC the mural had "brightened her day" — which is, after all, exactly what public art is supposed to do.
The Club Steps In
Spot On's manager, Dan Kirkland, has been one of the more measured voices throughout the furore. He acknowledged that there are areas of the face — particularly around the eyes and mouth — that need attention, but was clear that Ashmore will be given whatever access he needs to complete the work. More importantly, Kirkland drew a distinction that's worth repeating: having an opinion about a piece of artwork is entirely fair. Personally attacking the person who created it is not.
"People are absolutely entitled to like or dislike a mural," Kirkland said. "But having an opinion about a piece of artwork is one thing. Slagging off the person who created it is another." That feels like the right call. Ashmore took on the commission in good faith, and the online reaction has reportedly crossed from art criticism into something more personal — which, whatever you think of the mural's current state, is unnecessary.
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Sheffield — A Fitting Location
It's worth noting just how appropriate it is that a mural of O'Sullivan has appeared in Sheffield in the first place. The Crucible Theatre, just a short walk from venues like Spot On, has been the home of the World Snooker Championship since 1977, and it's the stage on which Ronnie has built much of his legend. His seven world titles put him level with Stephen Hendry at the top of the all-time list, and his record 147 maximum breaks — fifteen in total in professional competition — remain the benchmark for every player who steps up to the table. Sheffield, in many ways, belongs to snooker, and O'Sullivan is snooker's biggest name. The idea of a mural is spot on, even if the execution is still a work in progress.
Give Ashmore his remaining three weeks. Reserve your final judgement. And if the finished article still looks like a zombie? Well, at least it'll keep people talking about snooker — and there are worse outcomes than that.
