13 Artists Add Their Creative Touch to the Streets of Aberdeen

NeSpoon

For the sixth year, the NuArt Festival, which originated in Norway, has invaded the streets of Aberdeen, Scotland. This year, 13 artists from around the globe came together to create new murals and ephemeral street installations. In doing so, they added to the vast collection of art that the festival has brought to the Scottish city.

Some of our favorite muralists, like NeSpoon and SNIK, were on hand to leave their creative touch on the walls of the city. As usual, NeSpoon connected with a local lace maker to gain inspiration for her mural. After being introduced to Evelyn Currie from the Bon Accord Bobbins Lace Group in Aberdeen and learning about her 40-year passion for lace, NeSpoon used one of her projects as the basis for the mural. The piece depicts the Scottish thistle, the country's national flower.

For their enormous mural titled An Ending, A Beginning, SNIK hand-cut nearly 400 feet of stencils. It's one of the duo's largest pieces ever and perfectly shows off their skills at creating ethereal portraits. Other notable works include a colorful mural by Brazilian artist Thiago Mazza. Using his skills, he transformed a drab parking structure into a fresh botanical garden.

This year's festival was built around the theme of “rewilding.” While often used in discussions about the environment, rewilding is also an interesting take on the development of street art. Where personal freedom and transgressive acts have now been replaced by permission and commissions. NuArt Aberdeen looks at how the art form can balance its roots in passion and spontaneity with the rules and regulations that come along with institutional collaborations.

Take a look at more art from NuArt Aberdeen, including work by Swoon, Escif, Tamara Alves, and Manolo Mesa.