Street Art festivals are popping up like mushrooms across the globe, bringing murals, not street art, to cities primarily as a means of injecting life and culture into a community or business district. When we travel to see these walls we also like to check out the local organic spots off the beaten path where real street art and graffiti can run wild.
Shai Dahan (photo © Jaime Rojo)
You go exploring partly out of respect for the roots of this rapidly evolving art practice – It was the graffiti writers, Situationists, radical hippie students, culture jammers, political anarchists and all manner of freewill installationists who brought us to this moment where cities are almost pleading for murals.
You also hike into tunnels, abandoned lots, underpasses, and neglected former industrial sectors because that is where you know the scene will be alive with experimentation, the spark of discovery, and a splash of old-school in-your-face rebellion without censorship.
You also hike into tunnels, abandoned lots, underpasses, and neglected former industrial sectors because that is where you know the scene will be alive with experimentation, the spark of discovery, and a splash of old-school in-your-face rebellion without censorship.
Shai Dahan (photo © Jaime Rojo)
For teens and 20-somethings of a certain disposition there’s nothing like grabbing some cans on a sunny Saturday and slaughtering a burned out bus with paint. Even better if its in the middle of a decommissioned military training site used by testosterone raging paintballers with guns full of color ducking behind concrete facades in camouflage fatigues. Amid the clouds of aerosol and bonfire smoke you find these paintings in the ruins, the remaining signs of an un-wasted youth.
According to locals people all the way from Stockholm and Gothenburg travel to paint at this 18,500 square meter former training facility for the Swedish armed forces. It’s built to mimic a real city to practice urban warfare training with rudimentary buildings, marked streets, and below ground tunnels to crawl though. No one remembers when it was first built but it was closed in 1989, left for hikers, berry pickers, and x-urban explorers to discover.
According to locals people all the way from Stockholm and Gothenburg travel to paint at this 18,500 square meter former training facility for the Swedish armed forces. It’s built to mimic a real city to practice urban warfare training with rudimentary buildings, marked streets, and below ground tunnels to crawl though. No one remembers when it was first built but it was closed in 1989, left for hikers, berry pickers, and x-urban explorers to discover.
Shai Dahan . DAWG (photo © Jaime Rojo)
“The traces of bonfires most likely are from paint ballers having a barbecue during their games,” says one of our guides named Anders, “or possibly they’re for heating their hands during winter games.” Either way the aerosol tags, characters, paintings, and occasional wheatpastes are still popping up and fresh ones ride alongside some now decades old.
So nevermind the prickers and the poison ivy and take a hike off the path and see some free-range artworks in their naturally unnatural environs – directly to you from Sweden.
So nevermind the prickers and the poison ivy and take a hike off the path and see some free-range artworks in their naturally unnatural environs – directly to you from Sweden.
Simple (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio . MSCR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio . MSCR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SMUH (photo © Jaime Rojo)
S Camilla E Bostrom (photo © Jaime Rojo)
S Camilla E Bostrom (photo © Jaime Rojo)
S Camilla E Bostrom (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DAWG (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NESH (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JARN (photo © Jaime Rojo)
GWC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HANS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HAS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
GOBS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
GES (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PEBS . DAWG (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mogul . Hoplouie (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mogul . Hoplouie . Ollio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
AGUA (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><bsa<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><bsa< p=””>
Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><bsa<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><>
This article is also published on The Huffington Post
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
BSA Film Friday: 07.18.14
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : 1. TILIKUM from Michael Beerens 2. Etam Cru "Friends Sale" 3. RE+Public: Austin + Per...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : 1. TILIKUM from Michael Beerens 2. Etam Cru "Friends Sale" 3. RE+Public: Austin + Per...
BSA Images Of The Week: 06.19.22
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers and those filling that role for families. We know it's not easy work. We're thankful to all the guys who are there to raise...
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers and those filling that role for families. We know it's not easy work. We're thankful to all the guys who are there to raise...
BSA Film Friday: 09.03.21
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. Faith XLVII X KOLEKA PUTUMA2. Moments Like This Never Last. Cheryl Dunn/Dash Snow. Trailer3. 9...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. Faith XLVII X KOLEKA PUTUMA2. Moments Like This Never Last. Cheryl Dunn/Dash Snow. Trailer3. 9...
Art In Ad Places X Pride
The private art curators behind the public ad takeover initiative "Art In Ad Places" have been inviting people whom they like to show their art and curate in their exclusive campaign with phone booth...
The private art curators behind the public ad takeover initiative "Art In Ad Places" have been inviting people whom they like to show their art and curate in their exclusive campaign with phone booth...
Everybody, Including D*Face, Wants To Save The World
Just like the 80s song by Tear for Fears right? Oh, wait, they sang “rule the world”, not “save the world”, didn’t they? Ah, perhaps its a reference to the song by Swedish House Mafia. D*Face "Save...
Just like the 80s song by Tear for Fears right? Oh, wait, they sang “rule the world”, not “save the world”, didn’t they? Ah, perhaps its a reference to the song by Swedish House Mafia. D*Face "Save...