Graffiti in Oslo or Enrichment of the Space

Punk’s not dead

I’ve passed along this graffiti many times. It’s slogan decorates probably thousand walls around the world, yet here it seems especially striking. If you ever wondered on Housmanns gate in Oslo, you must have noticed it.

In every city in the world besides those most known spots, there are mysterious corners which create city’s unique atmosphere. Suburbs, old districts, long not renovated buildings are often enriched with street art. Locals are often very familiar with it as every day they go by it in a hurry.

Today I would like to share with you a few examples of street art in Oslo.

Kindergarten’s wall

The not so boring space

Street art can diversify the boring space or send an important message. It’s not surprising that many cities show off their most interesting graffiti and allow them near main roads or representative places.

But let’s not forget not everything can be art. Scribbling on newly renovated buildings is far from beautiful. However, towns which let organized groups of artists paint on old or abandoned places can be very surprised with amazing results.

Oslo is very open-minded when it comes to street art. There is plenty of space for graffiti and murals while there are very few wild scribbles. It’s very different from many places I’ve seen before. Although I’ve lived here for a while, I still discover more and more of them. And that is a real joy.

A rural perspective

Graffiti in Oslo is fairly popular, however, it is not the only place where it flourishes. Norwegian street art got out of cities and hit many places around the country. The Lofoten archipelago can be a great example, where a couple painters begun animating abandoned houses in rural areas. The project is called “Living Decay: fairy tales in the middle of nowhere.” It features some amazing graffiti, check out the video below.

What do you think about such form of art? Is it an important part of our surroundings?