The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Nuart will put Granite City centre stage of big picture
The full line-up of artists for Aberdeen’s Nuart festival has been revealed – along with images of their stunning works from around the world.
In total, 11 globally acclaimed street artists will arrive in the Granite City next month to transform walls and spaces, all working under the theme of “Reconnect”.
In the mix will be Norwegian street artist Martin Whatson, who took part in Aberdeen’s first Nuart festival, creating a hugely popular mural of a golfer on Queen Street in 2017.
The artists – hailing from all parts from Scotland to Morocco – will be creating both huge murals and more intimate smaller works during the festival, which will run from June 9-12.
Organisers of the awardwinning event, brought to the city by Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, said this year’s festival would continue to transform the city’s streetscape.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “At its heart, Nuart Aberdeen is all about connecting people with the city through the art that is
created by the talented street artists which the festival draws.
“Over the years we have played host to groundbreaking street artists and delivered projects that have involved participants from all walks of life and we are excited to see what people make of this year’s programme of events when it is announced soon.”
Included in the line-up is Glasgow stencil artist James Klinge, who makes his festival debut, and also Spanish artist and activist Jofre Oliveras, whose striking murals promise new connections with the city’s spaces.
The global appeal and influence of Nuart is shown
by the inclusion of Spanish artist Pejac, who will make a rare appearance as part of the event.
Pejac mainly paints with black to create silhouetted figures and shadows but sometimes uses splashes of colour to show them in a smart and poetic manner in both playful and serious scenes.
His creations have enchanted audiences around the world and organisers say it’s a real coup to secure his place in the 2022 line-up.
Portuguese artist Nuno Viegas was originally on the line-up for the cancelled 2020 Nuart, but secretly visited the city as part of a “lockdown edition”. His
clean and minimal work draws on traditional graffiti for inspiration.
Nuno is looking forward to returning to the city, saying: “We are finally going to make it happen – it feels great now to join the Nuart Aberdeen family in person once again for the Aberdeen jam!”
Large-scale murals will be a feature of the 2022 festival, with Barcelonabased Slim Safont’s striking works promising to offer intriguing links to daily lives, and popular Copenhagen-based muralist JACOBA aiming to “creatively disrupt our sense of disconnection and indifference”.
As a first the festival also welcomes London-based artist and activist for trans rights Erin Holly, whose studio and street-based practice are making an international impact, and Spanish artist Elisa Capdevila, whose largescale murals promise evocative slices of life reconnected, while Moroccan artist Mohamed L’Ghacham will recreate resonant scenes from everyday life.
Completing the line-up is artist Miss Printed, from Norway, who is sure to delight and surprise with her delicate miniature paper collages which will be placed in the streets.