May 30, 2021// Reading time: 20 mn
Mural « American Dreamers » by the artists Shepard Fairey, aka Obey The Giant and Vihls, worldwide famous for his engraved portraits
Street art has a global reach
Street art has never been more visible in the world. While the global pandemic slowed the pace of murals a bit during 2020 and the beginning of this year, it is now back in full swing in most parts of the globe.
Street art cities in North America
Canada
Honour to Canada, where Montreal still holds a place of prominence.
The Mural Festival, is an opportunity every June to paint nearly 80 new murals in this city that has already been involved in this longstanding art movement. Under Pressure is an equally important festival held in August. Focused around all things urban culture since 1996, it is the oldest urban festival in North America. Urban art is all over downtown Montreal. “Aires libres” participates in the ongoing development of the quartier Sainte Catherine, the Old Brewery Mission, a home for the homeless since 1889, hosts a towering mural of the city’s subway system on its walls on St. Antoine Street, while many of the pieces are on the Plateau.
Montreal is home to murals by some of the biggest names in street art: D*Face, Felipe Pantone, Kevin Ledo, Inti, Nychos, but also by Other, Botkin, Labrona , Klone Yourself, Gawd, Mateo, Five Eight, A’Shop crew, and many others.
[From left to right] Montreal – Canada, Oklahoma City – USA, New-York City – USA.
The other American cities in the top 10 most involved in street art this year are Cincinnati – Ohio, Richmond – Virginia, Houston – Texas, Philadelphia – Pennsylvania, Reno – Nevada, Detroit – Michigan, Miami – Florida, Atlanta – Georgia, Baltimore – Maryland.
These cities were selected by a panel of professionals and by public vote.
Street art cities in South America
Chile This is the case of Valparaiso, Chile, considered as the capital of street art in Chile. With many houses and buildings decorated in their entirety, certain districts such as Cerro Concepción, Cerro Bellavista, and Cerro Alegre are among the city’s iconic places. Mosaics, anamorphoses, giant murals, the creations are numerous and varied. The “Museum A Cielo Abierto”, in Cerro Bellavista, is a must. More than 20 murals by local and national artists are on permanent display in this place, which is easily accessible by the historic funicular. Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina, is not to be outdone. Street art is not considered vandalism in this city, only permission from the owners of the walls is required to make a mural. In fact, the city is a mix of decorative murals mixed with political paintings and Aztec cultural marks. The largest murals were painted as early as 2013 in Villa Urquiza and Coghlan, in these neighbourhoods alternating between construction and the abandoned wasteland of a highway that was never built. Since then, artists have invaded other parts of the city, such as the neighbourhoods of Los Colegiales, Palermo Soho, Chacarita and San Telmo. Colombia Medellin is a city whose name was long associated with the drug cartels. The neighbourhood of Comuna 13 was considered the most dangerous place in the world in the early 2000s. The more stable situation in recent years has led to a transformation of this special place. The paintings bear witness to the years of horror, but are resolutely turned towards the future, notably through their shimmering colours. The inhabitants are the first to wish for this renewal and to turn the page on the urban violence that has marked them so much. Bogotá has been slow to move away from the denunciatory graffiti linked to its history of violence. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the 2000s, the city has seen a boom in street culture, influenced by the Hip Hop culture from the United States, generating a creative bubbling unprecedented in the whole country. The scene of the tragic death of young graffiti artist Diego Felipe Becerra (aka Tripido) in 2011, Bogotá has been a place of street art expression ever since. In addition to the annual celebration by artists under the Avenida Boyacá bridge and 116th Street, the neighbourhoods of La Calendaria, Downtown, Distrito Graffiti and La Macarena are the most decorated places in the city.
[From left to right] Valapraiso – Chile, Buenos Aires – Argentina, Medellin – Colombia.
Street Art Cities in Europe
European cities have been taken over by artists for many years. Urban art is no longer only visible in capital cities. It is now present in all medium-sized cities and continues its progression in all spaces.
European tour of cities involved in urban art
United Kingdom
London is still considered the city of street art in Europe. The districts of Shoreditch, Camden and the capital’s largest murals are part of this dominant position, but it is also due to the many pieces scattered around the city, reflecting all the dynamic facets of urban art.
If London is the dominant city, Bristol is also very much involved in this culture. Indeed, it is in Bristol that the city council has defended street art as a major means of expression and has participated in its democratisation. The city is now very active, with a festival dedicated to street art, Upfest.
France
Paris is also active in challenging London for the title of number one street art city in Europe. With entire districts celebrating artists and urban art, Paris offers a variety of experiences around this art. The 13th arrondissement has some of the city’s most imposing murals, covering entire building facades, while Belleville and the surrounding area is home to a wider variety of graffiti and frescoes.
Marseille is also a city where street art is on display everywhere. For example, the Panier district, the oldest part of the city, or the Cour Julien, a graffiti artists’ paradise. Street art can also be found on the walls of the Friche de la Belle de Mai, a former tobacco factory that has been renovated as an artistic venue.
Germany
Berlin is also playing in the big league. The city’s history is reflected in the artistic explosion of the post-war period and reunification. Street art is fully in line with this continuity. The German capital is indeed the only one in Europe to have so many wastelands and third places that have been used by artists for decades. The old walls and facades are home to some of the best graffiti in the world, and the city is still full of surprises.
Spain
Spain is also part of the boom. Barcelona, as the leader of Catalonia, hosts pieces on the walls of Carrer de la Selva del Mar, Carrer de l’Agricultura and the Graffit Forum.
Madrid is active and is recognised as the leading street art city in the country. The murals can be seen mainly in the districts of Malasaña, La Latina and Lavapiés.
Other cities such as Valencia and Bilbao compete to be part of the national city art tours.
Many European cities are choosing to develop urban art to increase their visibility. Thanks to local associations and initiatives of all kinds, cities like Lodz, Frankfurt, Belfast, Reykjavik or Vilnius are committed to the movement.
[From left to right] London – United kingdom, Paris – France, Berlin – Germany, Madrid – Spain.
Street art cities in Africa
Street art explodes in Africa Although not all countries are at the same level of openness and possibilities, street art has nevertheless exploded throughout Africa. Some countries are particularly active, such as South Africa, Kenya and Senegal, as well as Tunisia and Morocco in North Africa. South Africa Johannesburg and Cape Town are the two cities of street art in South Africa. The most interesting murals in the former are in the Newton, Braamfontein, Maboneng and Jozi areas. The most popular is a huge elephant painted by local artist Faith on the Signature Lux Hotel in Sandton city. The Woodstock area and the Zeitz MOCAA are home to some of the best pieces in Cape Town, although there are walls all over the city. Kenya Kenya has been at the forefront of street art for almost twenty years and many local artists are internationally recognised. Nairobi and Mombasa are the two cities where urban art is visible. Nevertheless, this art remains rather underground and only a few fifty artists are fighting to change the country’s backward mentality and make this art emerge more locally. Many other countries and cities are opening up to street art Projects have emerged in Egypt, such as “Perception”, by the artist El Seed in Cairo, or the Murais da Leba project in Angola. Similarly, street art festivals are developing everywhere in Africa, such as in Kinshasa with “Kingraff” or in Ghana with the Chale Wote Street Art Festival and the Ghana Graffiti Festival, which attract crowds. All these festivals contribute to making these cities and countries key references in the African art scene.
[From left to right] Nairobi – Kenya, Cape Town – South Africa, Cairo – Egypt.
Street art cities in Asia
For a long time underground in Asia, street art has been better accepted for several years now by the municipalities, which are getting involved and authorising walls for major events. Korea While Japan remains a relatively closed country to this urban culture, Korea is evolving and has been gradually opening up over the last ten years. In Seoul, urban arts are mainly visible in galleries in the central districts of Anguk, Itaewon or Gangnam. Some districts have taken the lead and are now taken by tourists for their murals, such as Seongsu-dong, the “Brooklyn of Seoul”, or the districts of Mangwon-dong, Seongsu-dong, and Hannam-dong. Hong Kong So is Hong Kong, where artists and the organisers of the HK Walls festival regularly paint murals in different districts. If Hollywood road in Central is the “historic” street with many frescoes including Hopare or , Wanchai, Aberdeen or Tsim Sha Tsui on the mainland are the districts where the largest facades of the city are found. Behind the Happy Valley racecourse is a cool piece of Space Invader, a dog doing Kung Fu. Initially “buffed” by the city after a few days, the artist came to put it back and this time it stayed in place. Malaysia Malaysia incorporates urban arts into its cities, such as Kuala Lumpur which hosts many pieces around Chinatown and Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang. But it is especially the northern city of Penang that is very active in this art scene. The Georgetown district concentrates most of the murals. It is the testimony of the municipality’s commitment to restore this district and make it an open-air museum. The city is a leading place for street art in Asia and many local and international artists come to Penang to paint.
[From left to right] Seoul – South Korea, Hong Kong – Hong Kong SAR, Penang – Malaisia
Singapore
Singapore is one of Southeast Asia’s top street art cities. Local artists such as Ceno2, famous for his monochrome sultan painting on the walls of the Singapura Club, take over the city and its many corners.
International artists also come regularly to paint beautiful murals. These are found in Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Haji Lane and Little India, and contribute to Singapore’s colourful street art facades.
Taiwan
Taiwan does not appear spontaneously on the Asian street art map. Yet two cities are vying for the top spot in the country.
Taipei, the capital, has directly authorised street art in certain areas of the city. The Ximending district, for example, is home to the most beautiful murals around America Street and the Taipei Cinema Park. Very inspired by the local culture for the robots and superheroes, the murals also integrate a good part of the Chinese culture, especially calligraphy.
Kaohsiung, the country’s third largest city in terms of population, also applies an accommodating policy towards street artists, subsidising murals and promoting this art to embellish facades. Most of the murals are created by the local artists’ collective “The Wallriors” and are located in the Lingya district or at the Pier 2 Art Center.
Some other Asian cities are emerging, thanks to the combined actions of international and local artists. For example, Phnom Penh in Cambodia is seeing street art develop on its facades, as are Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket in Thailand.
Vietnam
The latest big Asian cities to get involved in the movement are Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where street art is coming out of the underground thanks to a relaxation of the local government and the action of private and public partners, such as with DRIP’IN and the French Institute of Vietnam during the Urban Arts Festival in April 2021.
Street artists such as SubyOne, Daos501, Cresk, to name but a few, are very active on the city’s walls and are opening up Vietnam to the international street art and graffiti scene.
[From left to right] Singapore – Singapore, Taichung – Taiwan, Hanoï – Vietnam
Oceania
We can’t end this world tour without mentioning Melbourne, Australia. The city is undeniably a pioneer in the promotion of urban arts.
Melbourne’s history is intertwined with that of New York, both in terms of time periods and similarities of development in the same type of urban wasteland. Proclaimed the ‘World Stencil City’ as early as 2013, it hosted the first International Stencil Festival the following year.
Melbourne is a city where the culture of urban arts is supported by all actors. Whether they are institutional or associative, they all work with the artists to transform the city. The public responds to the dynamism of the movement and its positive side.
The most beautiful places in the city promise a total immersion in street art. These include streets like Hosier Lane, Centre Place, AC/DC Lane and the Keith Haring mural on Johnston Street in Collingwood. But also Caledonian Lane, Croft Alley, Duckboard Place, Rankins Lane and Stevenson Lane.
“Still Life!” Mural by artist Shawn Lu at Melbourne – Australia. Photography by Nicole Miller
