The art of keeping going during Covid-19 pandemic

● Art festival sees posters dotted around the city amid lockdown

Aberdeen’s famed street art festival has “risen from the ashes” in an altogether new form amid lockdown.

Nuart Aberdeen has transformed the streets of the city into a giant open-air art gallery since its launch in 2017.

From standout street art like German artist Herakut’s mural of a girl on the outside of the

“We hope people enjoy this selection from these talented artists”

Aberdeen Indoor Market, to the “Graffiti Grannies” project through which Aberdeen pensioners were trained in the art of spray-painting in Adelphi Lane, the festival brings art lovers from across the country to appreciate a different side to Aberdeen’s streets.

Artists from across the world were all poised to visit the Granite City once more last month, for Nuart Aberdeen 2020.

But while the visit was postponed due to the pandemic, festival founders have nonetheless found a way to celebrate what could have been.

Nuart’s Lock Down Paste Up replaces big city tours and the creation of murals with posters depicting work from the proposed artists.

Works have been dotted across the city by artists including Biancoshock, Icy & Sot, Jacoba Neipoort, Jofre Oliveras, Nuno Viegas, Paul Harfleet, Sandra Chevrier and Vladimir Abikh.

Nuart Aberdeen founder Martyn Reed believes there will be plenty to enjoy.

He said: “Partnering with friends in the city, Nuart have been busy exploring ways in which street art can exist and remain relevant in a country locked down by a pandemic.

“Perhaps now is a good time to pause, to take time to reflect, to reassess where we should be focusing our attention and resources and I believe Lock Down

Paste Up has to some extent allowed this.

“We hope people enjoy this selection from these incredibly talented artists.”

Nuart Aberdeen’s Jon Reid said: “We hope to give everyone a chance to see some artwork and to interact with the festival, albeit in a different way from our usual street art tours and Nuart Plus events.”

This year also marks 20 years of Nuart, which has gone from strength to strength since it first began in Stavanger, Norway.

It has grown to become one of the world’s leading celebrations of street art.

To find out more, visit 2019.nuartaberdeen.co.uk

Photograph by Kath Flannery

LOCK DOWN PASTE UP: A poster by artist Biancoshock, one of many to be put up around Aberdeen as part of this year’s Nuart festival

Crowds take in SMUG’S work at The Green during last year’s street art celebration

A piece by Russian conceptualist Vladimir Abikh