In the bustling street art/graffiti scene of Porto, Portugal, a fresh wave of new pieces informed by folklore gives rise to “Street Gnomes,” a captivating solo exhibition by the Estonian street artist Gutface, also known as Ingmar Järve.

Hosted by Circus Network, this show, funded by the EU, the Goethe-Institut, and the Estonian Embassy in Lisbon, runs until April 11, 2024, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of mythical beings reimagined for the urban jungle – imbued with a certain warmth that may make you nostalgic for a time you never lived through. Gutface, a Tartu-based freelance artist, illustrator, and graphic designer, brings his personal tour de force to Portugal after entertaining audiences across Europe with the Stencibility Street Art Festival and his vibrant contributions to the collective @ajuokse.

“Street Gnomes” looks to redefine the gnome, a figure steeped in European folklore, traditionally seen as a guardian of the earth and its hidden treasures. Gutface often transposes these mythical guardians from their idyllic garden settings to the concrete sprawl, where they embody the spirit and toil of unseen urban caretakers: the road workers, electricians, plumbers, and garbage collectors who keep our cities seamless and functioning. The artist experiments and succeeds with various mediums; through a mix of ceramics, tufted carpets, risography, and bold speckled street art, the exhibition highlights a symbiosis between nature and urbanity.

At the heart of this exhibition is a narrative and a style that merges the raw energy of street art with less obvious storytelling. Järve invites us on a journey through the city’s veins, where every corner and crevice is alive with the silent hustle of its gnomish caretakers. “Street Gnomes” may also strike one as a testament to the transformative power of street art and a celebration of those who labor in the shadows, ensuring our urban ecosystems and imaginations thrive. Gutface’s work, deeply rooted in the vibrant street culture and community-driven ethos of Tartu, Estonia, connects the fantastical with the mundane, inviting viewers to reconsider the sources of that magic pulsing through the city’s concrete heart.

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