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Street art can promote conversation and highlight social, political and environmental issues and has always been a powerful platform to convey messages to the masses. Check out the street art murals brought to us in 2018 that promote injustices and inspire hope for our future…
A new mural by anonymous artist Banksy appeared in Hull, UK. The artwork appeared on the Scott Street Bridge and depicts a child holding a wooden sword with a pencil on the end, with the words written “Draw the Raised Bridge”. The new stencil may be Banksy fighting against the Raised/Open Bridge. During Hulls ‘Freedom Festival‘ the ‘Open Bridges Hull‘ project, curators Rich and Lou Duffy Howard, made history by closing all of Hull’s thirteen bridges, consequently splitting the city in two and denying freedom. For sixty seconds, all movement between East and West Hull was suspended!, this created debate about Freedom and the impact of withholding freedom, the freedom of movement and the meaning of freedom today in the world. Read more here.
Banksy, Draw the Raised Bridge, Scott Street Bridge, Hull, UK 2018. Photo Credit Banksy
A giant SOS distress call was carved into the landscape of an oil palm plantation in Sumatra by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, calling attention to the ongoing destruction of Indonesia’s forests and the demise of iconic species such as the Sumatran orangutan. Read more here.
Ernest Zacharevic, Save Our Souls Project SOS, Palm Oil Plantation, Sumatran. Photo Credit All is Amazing
A powerful art installation was revealed on the rooftops of London’s ITV studios on Southbank. The 84 male sculptures standing on the rooftop edge were made by American artist Mark Jenkins to raise awareness of male suicide. Read more here.
84 spectral sculptures to be hosted on top of ITV HQ as part of groundbreaking campaign against male suicide Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Harryís launch ëProject 84í to raise awareness of male suicide rates and campaign for prevention Every week, 84 men in the UK die by suicide ñ one life lost every two hours ñ and male suicide continues to be the biggest killer of men under 45
AptART (Awareness & Prevention Through Art) were back again with another street art project in Portland called “TOGETHER WE RISE”.The piece was created as collaboration with Ernesto Maranje and Suhaib Attar. Suhaib has Palestinian heritage and Ernesto has Cuban heritage, thus both have first hand experience of how supporting refugees and immigrants can raise up not only an individual but a whole city.Read more here.
Ernesto Maranje and Suhaib Attar collab, Street Art Portland. Photo Credit AptART 2018.
Boa Mistura believe in art for change, inspiring people through collaborative processes working in public spaces. Their latest project takes them to the Ritsona refugee camp, about 70 km from Athens, Greece. Read more here.
“In Ritsona, the vast majority of refugees come from Syria and Iraq, so we have been inspired by the girihs, the geometric forms of Islamic art, to reinforce the sense of belonging to a place from which they were torn away, but which they carry with them in their identity.” BOA MISTURA
Boa Mistura, Ritsona Refugee Camp, Greece 2018. Photo credit Boa Mistura
The Trashplant Festival is an innovative international project aimed to revolutionise our environmental awareness. Under the curatorship of Trash artist Bordalo II, famous all over the world for his #TrashAnimals, Trashplant took place in the city of San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands. The world’s best urban artists who create environmental awareness through their art were invited to join Bordalo II to amplify his waste production mission.Read more here.
MAISMENOS, Trashplant Festival, Tenerife, Canary Islands 2018. Photo Credit @Luzsosafoto
Acclaimed International Artist Faith XLVII completed her Unbound Mural Project for UC Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, CA. The mural covers two sides of a building at the corner of Golden Gate Ave and Hyde Street in downtown San Francisco and creates awareness for social and mental health care in USA. Read more here.
“There is a dire need for the funding of social series and mental health care in the USA. For humanitarianism of all forms. So first, we need to open the heart, and then we need to make social changes so that people have support the planet is sustainable.” Faith47
Faith XLVII’s Manifesto Mural “Unbound” in Downtown San Francisco, 2018. Photo Credit Brian Greif
Kobra was active painting in New York City with his latest project “Colors of Liberty”. The Brazillian street artist is creating a series of murals promoting peace to the masses, through the power of street art. Through his art Kobra addresses issues such as the immigration crisis, environmental problems, racism, and the importance of disarmament. Read more here.
KOBRA, “Colors of Liberty” Peace Project, New York City 2018. Photo Copyright Just_a_Spectator
Internationally renowned mural artist Fintan Magee joined forces with Nuart and Attende for the second iteration of their Social Inclusion Through Street Art project, which aims to inspire action and change. Attende specialises in finding strengths where others see weaknesses, promoting the message that everyone has an important role to play in our society. This year the clean city gang, Attende’s Ren By Gjengen, were celebrated. Read more here.
Fintan Magee Paints for Social Inclusion Through Street Art, Norway 2018. Image © Brian Tallman
Portuguese activist and ecologic artist Bordalo II, delivered his most ambitious trash animal installation to date, a 10,000 square feet world of trash animals entitled Wild Wild Waste, in Downtown Las Vegas, powered by Zappos.com and curated by Justkids, for the Life is Beautiful Festival. Wild Wild Waste is an eye-popping zoo parody with aims to draw attention to a current global problem, human waste production and the commodification of animal habitats, all the while offering viewers the ultimate destination for a creative funhouse. Read more here.
Bordalo II, Wild Wild Waste, Big Trash Animal Zoo, Life is Beautiful Festival, downtown Las Vegas 2018. Photo Credit JustKids
Amidst growing concerns around the impact of the fashion industry and consumer waste, a series of street art interventions by Bill Posters, appeared across the country to coincide with BlackFriday and Cyber Monday. Timed for release on the biggest global retail event of the year, Bill Poster’s latest campaign entitled ‘Waste World’ looks at the true consequences of the world’s rubbish – from clothes to plastics and e-waste – as well as those most affected by it. Read more here.
Bill Posters, Gucci , Waste World, Black Friday 2018. Photo Credit Bill Posters
Britain’s tallest mural ‘Big Mother’ a protest by artist STIK against the destruction of social housing has finally come to the end of its life when the 14-storey social housing block it was painted on was demolished in Autumn. Meanwhile, locals were quick to recognise the potential value of the smaller mother and child figure painted at the base of the mural and salvaged the life-size artwork before works began and with the help of the artist the piece was authenticated and put in a sturdy steel frame. The half-ton, painted brick artwork was placed in Phillips auction where it sold for a record £193,750 ($247,500). Proceeds from the Big Mother’s sale, the second highest price achieved in the sale have gone to ARTification the local community arts charity who facilitated its creation in 2014. Read more here.
Hope you enjoyed our retrospective look at 2018. There were so many worthy projects that we didn’t include so please drop a comment in the comments box below if any have captured your heart this year.
We will continue to bring you more street art projects and murals in 2019 so check back at a later date on our news page and keep up to date with daily street art activity from GraffitiStreet via Facebook and Instagram.
Happy and Healthy New Year,
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
KOBRA, “Colors of Liberty” Peace Project, New York City 2018. Photo Copyright Just_a_Spectator
With love,
Team GS
