Manchester’s Northern Quarter is known for its vibrant street art scene (including the Cities of Hope festival), independent music venues, and creative businesses that occupy its historic, repurposed buildings. This eclectic neighborhood has become a cultural hub, drawing visitors with its large-scale murals and a mix of alternative shops, cafes, and record stores. Despite the pressures of gentrification, the Northern Quarter of this UK city remains a key destination for artistic expression and community engagement, where spaces like the Manchester Craft and Design Centre have become cultural landmarks, housed in buildings with a rich history and offering spaces for local artists to showcase their work.
The street art duo SNIK, also from the United Kingdom, has just completed their latest highly detailed, multi-layered stencil here, “Still Life.” A meditative portrait spanning many stories, it makes one wonder who she is and if she has a special connection to this neighborhood.
“We’re thrilled to return to Manchester, a city that has always welcomed our work with open arms,” say the duo. “With Still Life, we wanted to create something that not only enhances the urban landscape but also encourages people to take a step back and appreciate the little things, the moments of calm we often overlook.”
This new one joins their 2018 wall called “Serenity,” which some say has become a cherished part of Manchester’s artistic heritage. Due to the ethereal nature of street art, one can never know for sure how long a piece will last, so we recommend you catch this one while it still has life.
Today we have a new exhibition of stencil art by the UK duo Snik at Franklin Park Zoo. Nicholas Ellis and Laura Perrett have made a name for themselves with hyper-realistic stencil work, now showcased in the “Handle With Care” project. This series of murals, situated along the Tropical Forest Pavilion, reflects the delicate balance between humanity and nature, featuring animals like the western lowland gorilla and the Panamanian golden frog.
Through this collaboration, Zoo New England spotlights its conservation efforts and One Health initiatives. The artwork underscores the importance of biodiversity and the critical role of community engagement in preserving ecosystems. By merging public art and conservation, Snik’s murals aim to provoke thought and inspire action toward environmental stewardship.
This project isn’t just about pretty portraits of gorgeous natural models; it’s about making a statement, a visual reminder of the interconnectedness of all life and the urgency of protecting our planet. The Franklin Park Zoo’s partnership with Snik is a call to action, challenging viewers to consider their impact on the world and encouraging them to contribute to conservation efforts.
Explore the murals, absorb their message, and understand the significant conservation work being done locally and globally.
It’s Memorial Day Weekend in New York and there are many commemorations, celebrations and family picnics in the parks. In Brooklyn the Memorial Day Parade kicks off in Bay Ridge at 11 am on Monday, from 78th Street and Third Avenue. The springtime fresh weather continues as we enter the unofficial first weekend of Summer, with lifeguards on our beaches and Fleet Week bringing 2,300 U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard members to New York to see, hear, and taste all that the city has to offer. Also in Brooklyn, you can listen to a concert by high-school musicians of the ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street near Greenwood Cemetary. The musical selections commemorate those who served in the armed forces, and will feature music by some of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, including James Weldon Johnson, Fred Ebb, and Leonard Bernstein. And, of course, there is new Street Art and graffiti to bring commentary and character to many neighborhoods.
Here is our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Modomatic, Mike Makatron, Muebon, Mike King, Frank Ape, Naito Oru. COSA V, Sen1, Cram, Senkoe, Kreau, No Snitch, Ali Baba, GLAD, Merk 26, Snik, and Ron Muralist.
We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
Street art duo Snik provided one of the lovely and haunting images this year when they were in Norway to install a program of pieces on the island of Utsira and finished with this one in Stavanger. They call it Overcome, referring to the reclamative behavior of nature to take over our human creations as time progresses. A second meaning of the title could also interpret the sitter’s demeanor of apprehension that affects much of the world as banks, corporations, and war-making industries overcome governments, communication platforms, traditions, and local laws. We, the ever-hopeful, are hanging in the balance as well.
Situated in the North Sea, 18 kilometers west of Haugesund, Utsira epitomizes Norway’s maritime heritage in Rogaland County. As the county’s smallest municipality, this 6.15-square-kilometer island with around 200 residents is deeply rooted in Norge traditions. Its historic dual-tower lighthouse has guided North Sea vessels since 1844.
Utsira not only boasts natural beauty and wildlife, including migratory birds and local livestock, but also showcases innovative sustainable energy projects, like their wind and hydrogen initiative from the early 2000s. Its archaeological treasures, from stone rings to burial mounds, echo the island’s deep heritage. Embracing both the old and new, Utsira has attracted international street artists here since 2014, enhancing its cultural tapestry. To experience this unique blend, take a ferry from Haugesund.
Icy & Sot, Issac Cordal, Pichiavo and Borondo have all created artworks here, so have SNIK, Hama Woods, and JPS, and several others during the last decade. The names are only as important as their proximity to a fan, as it turns out. As you cycle along the narrow winding roads or trek up the rocky hills, you might overlook it at first, but there’s likely a piece of street art nearby – just beyond where those two rams are butting heads.
Visiting the Utsira island for the first time in August of that year, public art curators and organizers Tor Ståle Moen and Borghild Marie were very curious about how the islanders would react to their idea. Would they welcome or resist the idea of bringing street artists to paint old barn doors or enormous seaside boulders in this pristine and remote home to 211 people?
“The island was 100% “clean” from any tags, graffiti, and street art,” says Tor. “They didn’t even have the names of their streets at that time.”
The magnetic charm of the island’s pristine beauty, deep-rooted history, and innovative spirit drew the duo back, time and again, to see more of the terrain and classic Norwegian architecture, and close-knit community. Over the span of a decade, people here warmly welcomed a handpicked ensemble of street artists, each personally cherished or inspiring to the pair. First-timers on the island are now treated to a subtly integrated treasure hunt of site-specific artworks tucked away and openly displayed in equal measure. The island’s lively art program has quietly become a shining example of how tight-knit communities can joyfully embrace the language of street art, all while celebrating and safeguarding their rich cultural heritage.
“The white-painted picturesque old-fashioned Norwegian wood houses were perfectly blended with the green and grey colored landscape,” Tor says of the environment where he and Borghild first inquired about their idea. “The answers came quickly as many people were interested in observing one of the artists while they were painting—and they positively commented on their art.”
“The oldest person living on the island, Tobias, was 87. He approached us and said, ‘There are too many grey walls in this world. Would you like to come over to my house and paint my wall in front?’ Of course, we reacted positively, and the artist ‘3 Fountains’ painted two kissing kids in front of his house. Tobias both smiled and had tears in his eyes when he saw the piece for the first time,” says Tor.
“‘Now, doesn’t the wall look much better?’” Tobias told Tor. “I used to work as a sailor back in the day, and I have seen street art in New York, Rio De Janeiro, and other cities back in the 70’s and 80’s. Finally, I can now see street art on my island. Thank you very much.”
We spoke with Tor Ståle Moen and Borghild Marie as they prepared to celebrate ten years of curating street art on the island of Utsira and asked them about their experiences there.
BSA: What were the origins of bringing street art to Utsira? How was the idea formed and presented? TSM & BM: Several of Tor’s street art friends wanted to come to Stavanger to paint, but Stavanger already had a festival curated by NuArt. Borghild Marie knew Utsira, with its unique environment and engaged population with Tove Grimsby as a passionate doer. So she wrote Tove, and asked if this tiny Island without street names wanted some street art. The answer was loud and clear: ‘Yes, please!’
BSA: Does the project rely on public funding? Is there funding coming from private donors? TSM & BM: The project has been supported by both public and private funding, but primarily with public funding, the Utsira municipality and the region of Rogaland as major donors. But private donors have helped with labor, material, food, housing, and support with travel costs, etcetera. The whole island has contributed, and we have as well.
BSA: Who is the project manager or director? Is she/he/they based in Utsira? TSM & BM: It’s more of a committee work, and by now, all involved are locals. We contribute as advisors when needed.
BSA: Can you speak about the residents and their involvement in the process? Did they have strong opinions in favor or against bringing street art to their island? TSM & BM: The islanders have greeted the art and artists, with great warmth. They have baked cakes, cooked dinners, taken the artists fishing, and invited them to their homes. Many of the artists have engaged in teaching art techniques at the school, and Icy and Sot conducted a beach cleanup together with the islanders.
BSA: Can you describe the collaboration between Martyn Reed, who ran the Nuart Festival based in Stavanger, and this Utsira project? How has the project evolved over time? TSM & BM: Nuart was invited to promote the events mutually to strengthen the whole region’s identity as a street art location, but their contribution is very limited.
BSA: What’s the process of extending an invitation to an artist to participate? It is such a remote location – how does the artist live there, and who do they interact with? TSM & BM: They have been housed in various ways, but most have stayed in the “artist in residence” space at the lighthouse.
BSA: Can you speak more about how residents have welcomed the artists and offered assistance or volunteered to help? TSM & BM: As answered above, the response has been overwhelmingly engaged and heartfelt. Many have contributed with gear (ladders, etc.), food, friendship, nature experiences, babysitting, etc. They express gratitude because the art enhances the everyday life on the Island, bringing new impulses and people to the Island.
BSA: The project is now in its 10th anniversary and recently, the British duo Snik painted on the island. What are the plans for the future? TSM & BM: We don’t know, but we have our eyes on big names who suit the Island well.
BSA: On a personal level, what does the project mean for you two, and how involved are you presently in bringing more artists to Utsira? TSM & BM: We have a deeply felt love and passion for Utsira and will support the project with our network and advice. But it is equally important to us that the islanders own the event. It’s their environment, and the art should live and breathe their voice and pace.
Back in dirty old Brooklyn from squeaky clean Norway, nothing has changed, and everything has changed. The Pokémon GO Fest is bringing 70,000 players to Randalls Island and elsewhere in the city, city government is banning TikTok from all official devices, and stabbings are up by 26% so Stay on your A-game out there people. The city is still beckoning you to Summer Streets, and we do too because wherever you go in New York, there is always a show, and sometimes you are it.
We lead the images this week with street artist Nimi’s poetic interpretation in Stavanger of Norway’s famous cliff Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock. There are not sufficient words to describe certain examples of natural beauty, so it is more fitting that a street artist address it – in this case possibly creating a parallel between its scale and the depth of love the artist has for his family. According to online accounts, the subject is his daughter Sophia.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Praxis VGZ, BK Foxx, Snik, Calicho Art, Sonny Sundancer, Nite Owl, NIMI, Pinky, Heal Hop, and Silvia Marcon.
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! This week we have a stunning array of street art pieces in Norway, from small detailed stencils to sweeping murals, figurative to conceptual to heroic. We’re in Stavanger for the Nice Surprise festival. Naturally, our own Jaime Rojo also had to strike a pose atop Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), which takes all the stamina and courage you can affjord. We are also seeing pieces and installations from previous Nuart festivals all over the place in Stavanger, many of which we’ve published previously but have not seen in person. Of course, not all of these shots are from Nuart and one is in Flekkefjord – a storied town that looks like it is frozen in time. And by frozen, we mean, well…
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: 1UP Crew, John Fekner, HYURO, Add Fuel, EVOL, Snik, Jaune, JPS, Pøbel, Ammparito, Nuno Viegas, Vlady Art, Slava Ptrk, Toddel, Mendioh, and STRØK.
SNIK, the artist duo known for their hand-cut stencil art, has announced their latest project, “EXHALE.” The endeavor spans the remote Norwegian island of Utsira and the city of Stavanger, exploring our connection to nature. The island’s small community lives harmoniously with the cycles of growth and decay, inspiring SNIK’s work. Three murals—Pathways, Afterthought, and Exhale—were created on Utsira, depicting the overwhelming presence of nature, and reclaiming serene subjects. The murals aim to blend with the environment, utilizing muted color palettes that respect the island’s peaceful partnership with its inhabitants.
SNIK, based in Stamford, UK, is known for their distinctive style, complex hand-cut stencils, and haunting portraiture. Their intricate work has gained acclaim among collectors for its vivid colors and their attention to detail. Their commitment to traditional stencil methods sets the work apart from digital techniques, even as the art captures dynamic action, featuring everyday subjects and emphasizing the beauty of the ordinary. In addition to the Utsira project, SNIK also created a mural called “Overcome” in Stavanger.
Flowers in decomposition, pathways to discovery, hidden and revealed – SNIK unveils a certain richness with this multi-staged display of beauty and decay. Lightboxes, textures, curving forms, natural and artificial light wending in and out of layers; the artists approach and examine the mystery of life and death with wholistic poetry, finding beauty in each.
For nearly a decade the English duo of Laura Perrett and Nicholas Ellis have chosen the nomenclature of the gallery when creating larger and medium-sized stenciled imagery for the street. Clean lines, photographic values, increasing sophistication in volume and textures, it is a steadfast dedication to learning that plays out before your eyes. For this show they do it all – scenery, costume, lighting, photography, directing, hand-cutting, and painting.
The resulting experience of the show is a seamless continuity in sensual gentility, a collection of figurative works and environments that seem familiar, enveloping you with the more subtle stirrings of nature. Analogous to the ephemeral qualities of art in the street, you can possibly see that there is a way to embrace the changes that they bring, and suggest. SNIK aims to help you to embrace this ephemerality.
British artist duo SNIK present EPHEMERAL, an exhibition of new works at The Crypt Gallery, London, running from 17- 20 October 2019. The Crypt Gallery, London, 165 Euston Rd, Bloomsbury, London NW1 2B
Welcome to Images of the Week! Go outside! Take your recycled bag with you because New York just outlawed plastic bags as of March 2020, so you can get in the habit now. This week most of our images come from the Urban Art holy city of Berlin, which we visited for a few days. Next stop, Querétaro, Mexico! Vamos!
So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring Berlin Kidz, Herakut, Homo Punk Action, Lapiz, Lister, Marina Zumi, Mr. June, Nafir, Nespoon, Nils Westergardt, Ostap, Pink Pony, 1UP Crew and Snik.
Biggie Smalls and Alfred Hitchcock open Autumn Equinox for BSA this week and we can’t help but think of that movie “The Birds” by the English film director where nature turns against man. Kiwi Street Artist Owen Dippie painted the mural in Brooklyn at the end of the summer and the mashup of references between the Brooklyn rapper and the dark cinematic thrillmaster in black and white may frighten you if you imagine those birds balanced at the end of their cigars began to peck their eyes out.
Friday night marked a new milestone for Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin there was a preview of the newly completed and opened artists’ residencies put on display. We were treated to the creative environments of 11 of the residencies with the first group of artists in attendance including NeSpoon, Herakut, Li-Hill, Snik, Ludo, Mia Florentine Weiss, Quintessenz, Sellfable, Dot Dot Dot, Louis Masai, Wes 21 and Onur. The museum will open its doors again for the museum’s second exhibition titled “The Power of Art as a Social Architect” this Thursday. Check it out if you are in Berlin.
So here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring 1UPCrew, Adele Renault, AKUT, Berlin Kidz, BustArt, Dina Saadi, Exit Art, L.E.T., M-City, Mehsos, Owen Dippie, Snik, and Vegan Flava.
We start here with a fresh paste-up directly from Iran. It depicts the entrance to a mosque bathed in a jewel reddish haze. The lower half of the door contains a cryptic message in the three-dimensional wildstyle graffiti that captured the imagination of New Yorkers, Europeans, and Middle Easterners over time. Descending the stairs and coming out to the street it reads, “Nothing”.
“If they would paste this in Iran,” says the Berlin Paste-Up Festival organizer Moritz Tonn from the artists collective Wandelism. “It would probably be considered blasphemy and the government would most likely go after the artist”. Here in the so-called “western” world the ability to criticize all institutions, including religious ones, is still officially preserved and honored – so it is interesting that a theocracy could judge this as possibly flammable piece and it has to stay anonymous here inside very permissive Berlin.
And that is only one of the reasons why exhibits like this are so crucially important to the dialogue on the street and to our collective awareness. Political, social, comic, pop, photographic, illustrative, painted, drawn, copied, figurative, immature, sarcastic,international, local, cryptic, explicit, inventive, verging on profound- these are the vox populi from many cities around the world stuck alongside one another. The mix is unusual, even odd. But the sound of the voices can be quite clarion.
“We got submissions from 130 artists, one to five paste-ups each,” says Moritz. “We have run out of room so we asked some of the the artists if we could put their art in the streets elsewhere around the neighborhood.”
Truthfully, there is a lot of space here that hasn’t been slapped with stickers or slathered with wheatpaste, and you can imagine that with time there will be a lot of organic growth in the massive piece that will bring the walls to full maturity/immaturity.
If one really is interested on experiencing the full scope of what’s happening with art in the streets one really must pay special attention to the artists whose practice is small. At the moment it may be that stickers and paste-ups are getting lost amidst the hurricane of mural festivals – But big murals don’t paint the whole picture.
The small stickers, the stencils, the wheat pasted posters attached to walls in back alleys, on post lamps and street furniture are a fundamental component of this truly democratic art movement. So we’re satisfied to see a large spot like this one solely dedicated to paste-ups in all their glorious incarnations.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
