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    Nuart Aberdeen Festival 2024

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    From June 6th to June 9th, Aberdeen once again played host to the electrifying Nuart Aberdeen festival, transforming the city into a vibrant canvas of contemporary street art. Now in its eighth edition, this internationally acclaimed festival brought together 11 distinguished artists under the theme of ‘Living Heritage,’ igniting creativity and cultural dialogue throughout the Granite City.Nuart Aberdeen, founded on the principles of artistic innovation and community engagement, has become a beacon for street art enthusiasts worldwide since its inception in 2017. This year, the festival continued its tradition of blending local heritage with global perspectives, showcasing a diverse array of artworks that ranged from awe-inspiring murals to thought-provoking installations.The 2024 edition of Nuart Aberdeen featured a stellar lineup of artists renowned for pushing the boundaries of urban art. Lineup includes Know Hope, Bahia Shehab, Case Maclaim, Cbloxx, Hera, KMG, Mahn Kloix, Millo, Molly Hankinson, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, and Wasted Rita. Each artist brought a unique vision to the city, exploring themes of identity, sustainability, and the preservation of cultural heritage. From large-scale murals that dominate city walls to intricate, hidden gems tucked away in unexpected corners, the artworks not only beautified Aberdeen’s urban landscape but also sparked conversations about the intersection of art and heritage.Beyond its aesthetic impact, Nuart Aberdeen has consistently delivered significant economic and cultural benefits to the region. By attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year, the festival has bolstered local businesses and reaffirmed Aberdeen’s status as a cultural hub in Scotland. Moreover, the festival’s commitment to sustainability and community involvement ensures that its legacy extends far beyond the lifespan of the artworks themselves.Nuart Aberdeen 2024 was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen City Council, and Reed Projects, with support from various local businesses and community organizations. This partnership underscores the festival’s commitment to fostering creative expression and cultural exchange in Aberdeen.As Nuart Aberdeen 2024 draws to a close, the city remains transformed, enriched by the legacy of this year’s festival. The artworks, now integrated into the fabric of Aberdeen, will continue to inspire and provoke thought, serving as a testament to the enduring power of public art in fostering cultural understanding and community cohesion.Nuart Aberdeen 2024 has once again demonstrated why it stands at the forefront of global street art festivals, combining artistic excellence with a profound respect for heritage and community. As Aberdeen looks toward the future, the echoes of this year’s festival will undoubtedly resonate, inviting both locals and visitors alike to discover the magic of urban art in the heart of Scotland’s Granite City.A parting note from Nuart Festival Director and curator, Martyn Reed:“The ephemeral nature of much of the culture we work with and produce at Nuart can be regarded as intangible cultural heritage. This incorporates the parts of our shared past that live in the present -everyday rituals and practices, cultural expressions, celebrations, festivals, stories, songs and craft that help to define who we are. These don’t have to be as old as time, this is heritage that lives in the present. This was the theme that we set out to explore this year, and as we sit here to unpack and decompress, we share WhatsApp messages and photos, trawl through thousands of drop box images and share those stories that become “sticky” with meaning. It’s this “stickiness” of certain stories during Nuart that keeps the work on the wall far more than the paste and paint. So I’d urge everyone, in this media saturated world of pretty murals, to spend a little extra time thinking about what and who is behind these final hero shots and how they contribute to making the city a slightly better place to be in these trying times.We’d like to thank all of our crew, artists, partners, press and extended Nuart Family the world over.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); More

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      “The Man on the Stone” by Jofre Oliveras in Aberdeen, Scotland

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      Spanish muralist and activist Jofre Oliveras decided to explore what nationalism means in 2022 for his Nuart Aberdeen mural. Located on Frederick Street, his large-scale painting depicts a man who’s holding a flag – but the flag is covering his face.Exploring the concept of Nationalism, the man on the stone, blinded by the flag is denied a perspective on anything else. It’s this “perspective on anything else”, that lifts it beyond bipartisan politics into a more universal realm. Which is probably just as well in the UK at the moment.“The flag is not letting this man see and have perspective,” said Jofre. The talented artist wanted to investigate the paradox of “being more global than ever but also being more isolated”.Take a look below for more photo’s of “The Man on the Stone” Photos by Brian Tallman; Doug Gillen; Clarke Joss Photography; Conor Gault More

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      “RECONNECT” Nuart Aberdeen Festival 2022

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      As we emerge blinking from the uncertainty and radical disconnection of the past two years of lockdown and social distancing, it is disorienting to rediscover those social connections and relationships to the people, places and spaces of our cities that have been stretched to the limit and in many cases broken and lost. No longer objects of risk, fear and constant surveillance, we hope Nuart’s “reconnect” edition can help to dial down the background anxiety that had become part of our daily lives.  To help us do this, we have connected with artists, academics and industry professionals from across the globe to explore and present the very best that this culture has to offer.Mural by Elisa-CapdevilaNUART ARTISTS This year’s festival plays host to 11 inspiring national and international street artists. Festival artist Martin Whatson reconnects with a new piece having lost his earlier work to developers, whilst Scottish stencil artist James Klinge makes his debut and Spanish artist and activist Jofre Oliveras’ murals promise new connections with the city’s spaces. We also have a rare festival appearance from Spanish artist Pejac, whose trompe-l’œil techniques have enchanted audiences around the world. Portuguese artist Nuno Viegas will bring his clean and minimal work that draws on traditional graffiti for inspiration, while Barcelona-based Slim Safont’s striking murals offer intriguing links to our daily lives.Mural by PEJACPopular Copenhagen-based muralist JACOBA returns to Aberdeen with an aim to creatively disrupt our sense of disconnection and indifference, and we are pleased to welcome London-based artist and activist for trans rights Erin Holly, whose studio and street-based practice are making an international impact. Spanish artist Elisa Capdevila’s large scale murals promise evocative slices of life reconnected, while Moroccan artist Mohamed L’Ghacham will recreate resonant scenes from everyday life writ large. Joining us from Norway, artist Miss.Printed will delight and surprise audiences with her delicate miniature paper collages placed in the streets. On Sunday 12th, the artist will also be running a Street Collage workshop open to the public, alongside Nuart Aberdeen’s Chalk Don’t Chalk workshops which encourage children and families to create their own chalk street art pieces.Mural by Nuno ViegasTo launch the festival on Thursday June 9th, internationally renowned photographer and subcultural legend Martha Cooper joins us direct from The Congo for a special screening of Martha: A Picture Story, followed by an audience Q+A at the Belmont Cinema, and on Friday June 10th, join festival artists and guests in a chaotic – but possibly educational – street art ‘Fight Club’ hosted by Doug Gillen of Fifth Wall TV at Spin, Aberdeen.NUART PLUS The extended Nuart Plus programme includes artist talks, panel debates, film screenings, walking tours and workshops. The theme for this year’s street art conference (10-11 June) at Cowdray Hall follows the festival theme, Reconnect. The two-day program brings artists, researchers, creative practitioners and the public together for the first time since 2019. Highlights include artist talks from festival artists, and panels with local, national and international creative practitioners.Keynote speaker Dr Lucy Finchett-Maddock (UK) unpicks the powerful relationship between art, transgression and power while Dr Stephen Pritchard (UK) will share his thoughts on the recent community turn in street art. Melbourne-based researcher and curator Dr Lachlan MacDowall (AU) will share his experience curating Flash Forward, a city-wide program combining art and music, while Dr Erik Hannerz (SE) will share his ideas on how we could “re-write” the city, and think outside the grid, by adopting some lessons learned from those who see the city’s surfaces as full of creative possibilities. The program also includes panel discussions for creative professionals on strategies for creating and sustaining independent creative spaces and projects.Mural by Slim SafontIssue 6 of Nuart Journal will be exclusively launched at the Nuart Aberdeen’s Street Art Conference, on Saturday 11th of June. Nuart Journal was first published in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. Professor Jeff Ferrell, from Texas Christian University has called Nuart Journal “the most exciting mix of political, visual, and intellectual energy I’ve seen in a long time!”Working in collaboration with Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, the multi-award winning Nuart Aberdeen will once again transform the streetscape of the Granite City.Mural by Martin WhatsonInstallation by Martha CooperMural by Mohamed L’GhachamMural by Erin HollyMural by James KlingeMural by Jacoba NiepoortInstallation by Miss PrintedMural by Jofre Oliveras More

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      Mural by Helen Bur in Aberdeen, Scotland

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      Nuart Festival alumni Helen Bur, was the final artist in residence to add to Nuart’s 2021 run of city-wide mural art in Aberdeen, an antidote to the lack of art-related initiatives taking place during the events of the last 17 months. Bur was commissioned by Nuart to bring her traditionally-influenced, narratively-poetic style to the walls starting in the last week of July. A British-born and currently London-based artist, Bur has made her name in perfecting the mesmerising depth of figurative oil work on canvas, then transferring those techniques to urban settings, using emulsion on a vastly larger scale. As for her subjects, Bur chooses to present figures captured in snapshots of their lives – unexplained moments of oddity and curiosity, sometimes unsettling, others farcical – that focus in on the moment, the reaction to it and a sense of mystery without context. “After the murals I painted of Alice and Hugo there two years ago were demolished, the team kindly invited me back and I thought it was only right to bring back Ally and Hugo, with their new addition, Ruby-Rae! This painting is a tribute to them, their endless kindness, a homage to gentle power and taking up space with softness and femininity” artist Helen Bur stated.Bur’s piece can be found on Union Wynd, and stands tall at over 16 meters high, a mammoth final flourish for Nuart Aberdeen Summer 2021. Check out below for more photos of the mural. Photo credits: Clake Joss Photography More

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      “Pulling Faces” by Fanakapan in Aberdeen, Scotland

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      The Dorset-born, London-based street artist Fanakapan brought a smile to Aberdeen this week – two in fact – with his perspective-defying street art, the fifth artist to appear for Nuart Aberdeen Summer 2021.Fanakapan is the latest ‘artist in residence’ in the Granite City curated by Nuart to bring new life to its walls.With a background in prop making, Fanakapan began creating hyper realistic visuals of real life objects in the early 2000’s. Free-hand yet technical, eye-catching but with literal and metaphorical depth, Fanakapan is best known for gleaming metallic balloons floating their way across canvases and city walls around the world. His works have earned him a stellar reputation within the urban contemporary art scene.For Nuart, he added his unique style to NHS Building, the Frederick Street Clinic, with the piece ‘Pulling Faces’ a fitting goodwill message for the city and its health service.The huge smiley faces, one rendered in a ‘3D’ style while the other wears its own pair of red and blue 3D glasses, are visible on West North Street all summer long and beyond.Hit the jump for more photos of Fanakapan’s work. Photo credits: Clarke Joss More

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      Mural by SNIK in Aberdeen, Scotland

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      Stencil art duo, SNIK have recently collaborated with Nuart Aberdeen Summer’s third project in this year’s residency programme. Nuart and SNIK have developed a fabulously creative and productive relationship over the last few years. This will be the second visit to Nuart Aberdeen having joined the event in 2018 where they produced the now landmark “Hold Fast Hope” mural.This years theme of “Re-Connecting” is marked by inviting several artists back to the city, a literal attempt to connect artists back to Aberdeen but also to connect citizens back to a post pandemic public space. This particular work, is a companion piece to a similar sister mural in Stavanger, also twinned with Aberdeen. Extending this idea of “re-connection” back across the North Sea.The bridge that the work is produced on connects Union Street, the city’s main high street, to Aberdeen Market, a much maligned building that is now scheduled for demolition and redevelopment. SNIK’s recent body of work has employed and embraced the idea of the ephemeral, something we know all too well in this culture. Soon the physical bridge, the market and artwork will all be gone.What’s left will be the memories of this production, the memories of the art, its digital legacy but also carried in the memory of everyone who either worked on the project or had the pleasure of experiencing it. How it haunts the new development, we’ve yet to find out, but hopefully, in the short time of its existence, it finds a way to connect the past with the future in interesting ways, much like the bridge itself.Snik is an artist duo based in Stamford, UK. Specialising in hand-cut stencil art. As two of the most progressive artists of their kind. Despite of digital techniques, Snik as a male and female partnership always remained true to the origins of their craft with complex, multi-layered and hand cut stencils. The commitment to the discipline’s heritage and their aesthetic of frozen scenes of dynamic action makes their work instantly recognisable. Their art focuses on the conventional and commonplace, such as tangled strands of hair or the textures and folds found on certain fabrics. Their focus on the ordinary elevates the subtle aspects to hint a deeper meaning.Scroll down below for more photos of SNIK’s masterpiece. Photo credite: Clake Joss Photography More

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      Mural by Henrik Uldalen in Aberdeen, Scotland

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      Henrik Uldalen was the second artist to descend on The Granite City for this years Nuart Aberdeen festival, which due to covid restrictions has taken the form of a series of artist in residence projects. The festival has an ongoing series of projects that aims to give everyone a lift – by reconnecting with those spaces and places that have become a part of them.Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen (1986) is a self-taught artist whose creative production revolves around classic figurative painting, presented in a contemporary manner. Henrik explores the dark sides of life, nihilism, existentialism, longing and loneliness, juxtaposed with fragile beauty. Though a figurative painter, his focus has always been the emotional content rather than narratives. The atmospheres in his work is often presented in a dream or limbo-like state, with elements of surrealism.The artist’s practice helps him grasp his entity, expressing “I paint because I need to paint. I have always had things in my life that I need to work out, and I’ve found that the best way is to take it out in the studio.”It’s rare that Henrik works in public space, most of his time being dedicated to his studio practice, but with a background in graffiti, tackling outdoor walls is something he is also comfortable with. This will be his second mural with Nuart having joined us in Stavanger, his mother’s home town, back in 2016.Check out below for more images of Henrik’s masterpiece. Photo credits: Clarke Joss|@clarkejossphotography More

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      “STUCK UP” by Nuart Aberdeen Summer 2021 in Aberdeen, UK

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      Nuart Aberdeen have called on the people of Aberdeen to be part of a record breaking new street art project. ‘Stuck Up’ is a worldwide collaboration which will take place in the city centre this July.Location photoNuart Aberdeen will be pasting up between July 1st and August 1st In a unique effort to put this art form firmly under the public spotlight. The project have over 1500ft of walls space so that means not only works curated by Nuart founder Martyn Reed in collaboration with fly-post legends UNCLE, a revolutionary wall of street posters by London’s Flyingleaps who are celebrating their fifth anniversary, but your art too.Submissions are now open, send it, and as long as it isn’t massively offensive.Ship your posters, poems, print outs, photos and collages to :“STUCK UP”THE ANATOMY ROOMSMARISCHAL COLLEGESHOE LANE, ABERDEENAB10 1AN, UK“As corona shut down large-scale arts venues across the globe, so festivals and large-scale mural productions met the same fate. At the same time, we witnessed a huge upsurge of creativity outside of those institutions: DJs streaming sets; opera singers delivering arias from their balconies. Within Street Art, we saw a renewed interest in smaller, more human-scale projects.In many ways, Paste-Ups and Locative Collages, disciplines that demand little more than a tabletop, scissors, magazines and /or paper, are as much related to “craft” as to the rarified world of contemporary art. But perhaps this is what the world needs right now: a less ‘stuck-up’ and judgmental look at the collective capacity of our communities to engage in shaping public space. A return to a more honest involvement in art as it’s created within cities.” Martyn Reed, Nuart Director and FounderLocation PhotoLocation PhotoA Paste-Up is simply an artwork on paper, pasted to a wall with wheat- paste, a form of self-made glue that – in America at least – became the name of the actual practice.Paste Ups are more often than not regarded as an artworks in their own right, usually created in the studio before being transplanted on the streets. The practice crosses over into notions of the more familiar fly-posting when art becomes the vessel for political sentiments and social calls to action. Locative Collages are a relatively new iteration of this idea, wherein small collages are created and then pasted, or “located”, in public spaces.Partners in this project :Aberdeen Inspired | @abdnispiredAnatomy Rooms | @anatomyroomsflyingleaps | @flyingleaps2016UNCLE | @unlcle_insta More