As the ‘Nice Surprise’ Street Art Festival wrapped up, Pobel’s impressive mural on Stavanger silos brought a bit of theater and activism to the fore. With a short lead time and a lot to learn, this first-time run festival was a heartfelt invitation to twelve talented artists from around the world, asking them to share their creativity from a variety of different vantage points in the street art/graffiti parlance with folks in Stavanger. It’s been a journey of unveiling and discovery, and here at BSA, it’s been our pleasure to travel alongside, capturing every mural and sharing it with you. Today, we give you a one-stop recap of all the pieces from the first ‘Nice Surprise’ festival.

We want to say thanks to Atle Østrem, Pøbel, Tore Pang, Izabell Ekeland, and Stine Oliversen for their gracious hospitality, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. We also wish to express our gratitude to Ian Cox, Tor Ståle, and Ludvig Hart for sharing their photographs with us. Thank you also to the great people we talked with on the streets and at our formal presentation at the theater. Perhaps we’ll see you next year!

In case you missed any of them, here are our postings from the festival:

Nice Surprise! Stavanger, Norway – Sofles & Friends Paint a Train for New Festival

Sofles & Mathis – Nice Surprise – Stavanger

Nychos Surprises Surreally – Nice Surprise Festival, Stavanger, Norway

Doze Green Spirits – Nice Surprise Festival – Stavanger

Belin and Ragnar Lodbrok: Tribute to a Viking in Battle at Nice Surprise Festival – Stavanger

Tamara Alves, a Car Engulfed in Flames – Nice Surprise Festival – Stavanger

“Re-Shaping Reality” with Telmo Miel at Nice Surprise Festival in Stavanger

Toilet Paper, Sparrows, and Neighbors: Telmo Miel Pt 2 in Stavanger

Gary Taxali at the Podium and on the Wall at Nice Surprise Festival – Stavanger

Tito Ferrara, Two Jaguars, and a Brazilian in Stavanger – Nice Surprise Festival

Faces from the Streets of Stavanger

Taxali Sails Into Street Art at “Nice Surprise” – Part 2

Unveiling Atle Østrem: A Fusion of Urban Narratives and Personal Expression

Unveiling Atle Østrem: A Fusion of Urban Narratives and Personal Expression

Modest Stencils to Towering Facades: Pøbel’s Path to Creation, Curation, Community

A Surprise Collab on Three Walls: Kjell Pahr Iversen & Atle Østrem in Stavanger

Norwegian Generations: Kjell Pahr Iversen & Atle Østrem Create Triptych in Stavanger :Part II

From Grain Silos to Grand Canvases: Pøbel’s Tribute to Norway’s Farming Frontline