Art Made Visible
What do Paris, Athens and Aberdeen have in common? Visually arresting images which demand attention, captivate the imagination, and, if you are paying close attention, invite you to learn about and participate in a dialogue regarding the local political, social, and cultural landscape. In discovering street art on one trip to Paris, I found an entire, exciting world of art away from the rarefied world of museums and galleries, one in the public domain and full of commentary on the world in which we live. Informal street art tours, especially on solo trips, enabled me to meet local artists and see parts of a city far away from the iconic sights.
In this piece, I do not speak to the formal definitions of street art, its history, or its multi-varied forms, but rather present you with the images that remain indelible in my mind all these years later and let you consider how you would define this form of art and its place in contemporary art. Introducing Loukanikos the riot dog, named for his love of sausages! No ordinary dog, Loukanikos became a folk hero when he began showing up at anti-austerity protests in Athens during a period of social unrest following the 2008 financial crisis. He had no owner but was taken in by a local man when he became ill at the end of his life. Loukanikos is immortalized in this powerful image by Billy Gee, Alex Martinez, N_Grams and by Time Magazine which named the dog its person of the year in 2011! Interested in learning more, or exploring Athens beyond the Acropolis in the future? I highly recommend participating in an Alternative Athens Street Art Tour led by a local graffiti artist.
Aberdeen is home to my cousin Grant, his wife Susi, and an international street art festival Nuart Aberdeen (all solid reasons to visit this city!). Started in 2017, this festival is designed to showcase the most interesting and relevant street art of the time by local, national, and international artists who transform the city centre with art which may be enjoyed year-round. We three travelled its resulting street art trail in awe of the diversity of approaches, styles, and subjects; from tiny, ceramic bowler-hatted male figurines perched on stone lintels to this large-scale photo-realistic mural. The image depicted here is the immensely talented Australian graffiti writer and muralist Smug who now resides and works in Glasgow, Scotland. It is of a tattooed barber he knows based in Scotland. What took our breath away is that Smug did this with a spray can freehand; that is, not using a projector or grid. If his work seems familiar, he is also known for his image of the man with a robin in Glasgow. Visit @nuartaberdeen to see more images. A tour with Two Scots Abroad will let you see this granite seaport with new eyes!
Finally, walk through the districts of Oberkampf and Belleville, Montmartre and the 13th arrondissement, with Street Art Paris to relieve the rebirth of this art form in Paris in May 1968. If you are not familiar with street art, you may still know the name of the English-based street artist and activist Banksy who is featured by Street Art Paris as follows:
‘At the end of June 2018, a series of unsigned paintings appeared around Paris, all resembling the work of the Bristolian graffiti artist Banksy. Later confirmed by the artist on his Instagram account, the works refer to the 50th anniversary of the tumultuous events of May 1968.
Each work contains a striking political message and most confront important contemporary issues in France, in particular the government's response. to the migration crisis in Europe. This painting shows a man in a suit giving a bone to a greedy dog. Blood flows from the dog with a missing leg, and the man hides a saw behind his back. The work plays on the idiom "to throw (to someone) a bone" which means to offer someone something superficial or of no value.’
Street Art Paris hosts Atelier Gratin de Murs, a multidisciplinary public art workshop and artist council whose clients include real estate developers, managers and agents, local communities. It lists artists from all over the world and invites project proposals from new street artists. Street Art Paris promotes artists on its website, educates, hosts graffiti workshops and street art tours.
Street art brings creativity into the public domain and is often, despite at times being controversial, may spark social change. My hope is this far too short introduction to street art will intrigue you enough to learn more about its origins, its artists, its relationship to guerilla or graffiti art, and about how we make art more accessible to all.
What are your thoughts regarding street art and its contributions? Do let me know by reaching out to me through my contact page.
(Images in descending order: Loukanikos by Billy Gee, Alex Martinez, N_Grams (Photo Credit Siobhan Arnott), Smug from Australia (Photo by Siobhan Arnott), Banksy (Photo Source Street Art Paris), Artist Unknown (Photo Credit Siobhan Arnott).)