STREET ART UTOPIA

2025-04-23 06:09:00

3D Madness By Shozy! (28 Photos)

These buildings are not bending, melting, or opening up—Shozy just makes them look that way.

Born in Moscow in 1989, Danila Shmelev—better known as Shozy—began painting graffiti in the early 2000s. He studied graphic design at the Moscow Art and Industrial Institute and trained in classical drawing and painting before moving from three-dimensional letterforms to large-scale anamorphic murals.

This expanded collection brings together 28 works created between 2016 and July 2026. Using perspective, shadow, and existing architectural details, Shozy makes apartment blocks, hotels, courtyards, and industrial buildings appear soft, hollow, folded, or torn open.

Follow Shozy on Instagram, explore his artist portfolio, and read the 2026 Rebobinart interview.

More: 3D Masterpieces (18 Photos)

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🧩 Untitled — Shozy in Calais, France 🇫🇷

Painted for the Calais Street Art Festival in July 2026, this work turns a flat gray wall into a stack of swollen, salmon-pink folds. The official program scheduled Shozy to work on Boulevard du 8 Mai from July 17 to 24 and does not list a formal title, so the work is presented here as untitled. See Shozy’s post.

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🌊 The Wave Is Coming — Shozy in Balashikha, Russia 🇷🇺

Created in 2022 for the Cultural Code festival with assistant Alexey Tarakin, The Wave Is Coming transforms a 14-storey panel block into a rolling architectural swell. The work is at 7 Novaya Street in Zheleznodorozhny, Balashikha. Local coverage records the title, festival, and address. See more photos on Street Art Utopia.

💡 Literary Fact: The settlement now known as Zheleznodorozhny was called Obiralovka when Leo Tolstoy used its railway station as the setting for Anna Karenina’s death. The Moscow Region’s official tourism portal records that the settlement was renamed Zheleznodorozhny in 1939.

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🧥 Untitled “Inside-Out Fur Coat” — Shozy in Satka, Russia 🇷🇺

For this 2026 transformation at No. 3 on 40 Let Pobedy Street, the facade seems to buckle while windows slip in and out of alignment. Shozy compared the idea to turning a house’s fur coat inside out; that phrase is his caption rather than a formal title. Created for the Sobranie Fund with Alexey Aste. See Shozy’s post. Photo: @fotoshakirov.

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🪞 Anamorphose — Shozy in Paris, France 🇫🇷

Painted in 2023 for Boulevard Paris 13 at 202 Rue du Château des Rentiers, this red-framed illusion compresses the middle of the tower into a rippling reflection. The project’s official page identifies the work as Anamorphose. See more photos on Street Art Utopia. Photo: Vincent Mercier.

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🟢 Untitled — Shozy in Reims, France 🇫🇷

Created for the final phase of the Odyssée project in the Châtillons district in 2025, this emerald-and-black composition turns the gable at 2 Avenue Christophe Colomb into what the project describes as a portal to another dimension. The linked project pages do not list a formal title. View the artist-added location record.

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🕰️ La Torre del Rellotge — Shozy in Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

Completed in Trinitat Nova, Nou Barris, in December 2025, La Torre del Rellotge—The Clock Tower—reimagines the building at 19 Carrer Platja d’Aro. The Rebobinart project page explains that the mural recalls a neighborhood clock tower built in 1953 and demolished in 2013; it was produced for NOU Sentit Urbà.

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🏢 Untitled — Shozy in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Created for the 2025 season of the Vzglyady public-art program, this monochrome intervention makes balconies bulge, sink, and pass through the surface of a low residential building. No formal title has been confirmed. Contemporary coverage notes that Shozy created another geometry-breaking mural during the season, separate from Garden of Invisible Reeds. The restrained gray palette lets the painted distortions merge almost seamlessly with the real architecture.

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🧬 Technè et Gaïa — Shozy in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, France 🇫🇷

Created for the third edition of Montereau’s L’art dans la ville initiative, Technè et Gaïa combines Gothic arches, white hydrangeas, molecular forms, and a deep blue inspired by Montereau’s historic faïence. Its title joins the ancient Greek idea of technè—art, skill, and craft—with Gaïa, the Earth. The artist-added record dates the mural to June 6, 2025, at 4 Rue des Récollets. Photo: Shozy.

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📐 Panel House — Shozy in Solnechnodolsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Painted for the Cultural Code festival in 2021, the work is identified as Panel House (Панельный дом) in the regional mural catalogue. It extends the familiar architecture of a five-storey apartment block with impossible rooms and projecting balconies. The project record identifies Shozy and assistant Alexey Tarakin and places the 320-square-metre work at 10 Solnechny Boulevard. The correct town is Solnechnodolsk, Stavropol Krai—not Solnechnogorsk, as the old image filename and earlier captions stated. See more photos on Street Art Utopia.

💡 Nerd Fact: Soviet prefabrication extended beyond wall panels. A 1971 National Bureau of Standards report documented concrete bathroom pods leaving factories with toilets, washbasins, and baths already partly installed; one Leningrad panel line finished a panel every 22 minutes.

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🍇 Vigne en Ville — Shozy in Reims, France 🇫🇷

Created at 36 Avenue Georges Hodin for the Odyssée Châtillons project in 2024, Vigne en Ville opens a concrete facade onto curling leaves and grapevines. The Quai 36 project page says the work symbolizes the region’s wine-growing heritage.

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🏨 Untitled — Shozy at the Ibis in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France 🇫🇷

At 2 bis Boulevard Daunou, Shozy uses the peaked roof and central windows of an Ibis hotel to create a cutaway building within the building. Painted in 2024 with assistant Alex, the grayscale openings suggest imaginary rooms inside the hotel. The city page does not list a formal title, so it is presented here as untitled. Official city project page.

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🪟 Sans titre — Shozy in Le Pont-de-Claix, France 🇫🇷

For Street Art Fest Grenoble-Alpes in 2024, Shozy bent the windows and trim of a modest building at 1 Place du 8 Mai 1945 into an elastic-looking facade. The festival lists the work simply as Sans titre—Untitled. Official festival page. Photo: Andrea Berlese.

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🌀 Untitled (“Bent House”) — Shozy in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Created for the 2024 Vzglyady public-art program at 233 Komsomolskaya Street, this mural makes the center of the apartment block swell outward while its painted windows follow the curve. Local map listings call it “Bent House,” but no formal title has been confirmed. Artist reel.

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🔺 Untitled — Shozy in Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪

Painted for Tbilisi Mural Fest in 2024, this Varketili facade uses a single red line to sharpen the edge of a deep grayscale recess. The work is in Varketili 3, fourth microdistrict, on Sesilia Takaishvili Street. No formal title is listed, so it is presented here as untitled. View the location record.

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🚪 Portal — Shozy in Krasnokamensk, Russia 🇷🇺

Created in 2024 for Krasnokamensk’s Mestorozhdenie creative program, Portal folds the windows, shadows, and planes of apartment block 401 into an opening that appears to continue beyond the wall. Krasnokamensk’s tourism site identifies the work as Portal and credits it to Danila Shozy. See Shozy’s post.

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🧪 Melting Formula — Shozy in Moscow, Russia 🇷🇺

Created at ARTPLAY in 2023 for the fourth ARTMOSSPHERE Biennale of Street Art, Melting Formula extends the building’s architecture across the wall, with a painted wave making the structure appear soft and displaced. The Open Museum project page gives the Russian title Формула плавления; “Melting Formula” is used here as a natural English rendering. The work is at 10 Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya Street, building 9.

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❄️ Arctic Circle House — Shozy in Salekhard, Russia 🇷🇺

Painted for the 2022 YAM(ural)AL festival at 8 Gubkina Street, Arctic Circle House removes the apparent center of the facade and suspends rooms inside the painted void. Shozy’s post confirms the title. See more photos on Street Art Utopia.

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🦣 Untitled (“Mammoth Skeleton”) — Shozy in Salekhard, Russia 🇷🇺

Also painted at 8 Gubkina Street for YAM(ural)AL in 2022, this 196-square-metre trompe-l’oeil turns the end wall into a museum-like display containing a mammoth skeleton. The work won the festival’s “Look to the Future” category, according to regional news agency Sever-Press. No formal artwork title has been confirmed, so the heading is descriptive.

💡 Nerd Fact: Lyuba, a permafrost-preserved mammoth calf found on the Yamal Peninsula in 2007, lived roughly 42,000 years ago and was only 30–35 days old when she died. Vivianite in her trachea and bronchi suggests that she suffocated after inhaling mud, according to a 2018 scientific study.

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🧰 Treasure Box — Shozy in Almetyevsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Created with Alexey Aste in summer 2022 for Almetyevsk’s Tales of the Golden Apples public-art program, Treasure Box turns the wall at 189 Lenina Street into a trompe-l’oeil cache of Shozy’s personal keepsakes. The official project page explains that each object carries a memory from his childhood or later life, inviting viewers to reconnect with their own.

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📿 Hidden Beauty — Shozy in Derbent, Russia 🇷🇺

Painted at 3 Lenina Street for Derbent’s third Stena street-art festival in 2021, Hidden Beauty (Скрытая красота) is a geometric abstraction based on patterns from a chibta, a woven mat from the Dagestani village of Urma. In an interview with Eto Kavkaz, Shozy explained that its blurred layers create the effect of an object seen through frosted glass. See it on Street Art Utopia.

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🐝 Collective Mind — Shozy in Neftekamsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Created for Iskra Urban Fest 2020 at 58 Lenina Street, Collective Mind turns the building’s corner into an optical-illusion hive with a monumental bee inside. Festival organizer Supernova Art Embassy describes the bee as both a recognizable image of Bashkir culture and a metaphor for collective effort.

💡 Nerd Fact: Wild-hive beekeeping in present-day Bashkortostan originated about 1,500 years ago. The Bashkir Ural heritage dossier describes colonies housed in specially prepared tree cavities and conservation work protecting the native Burzyan bee.

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🤝 Untitled “Handshake” — Shozy in Chelyabinsk, Russia 🇷🇺

Painted on a 20-storey block at 103 Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya for Urban Morphogenesis 2.0 in 2020, the mural sends two hands through separate openings and across the building’s corner. Shozy described it as a work about love and human relationships: breaking through a metaphorical wall of grievances and illusions to reach understanding. No formal title appears in the artist’s post, so “Handshake” is descriptive. Photo: @shaoshenga.

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🚲 Untitled “Levitating Bicycles” — Shozy in Satka, Russia 🇷🇺

Created for the Satka Street Art Festival in 2020, this anamorphic mural fills the passage between buildings of the local South Ural State University branch at 6A Proletarskaya Street with levitating bicycles. Designed for a particular viewpoint in the courtyard, the painted perspective makes them appear suspended within the structure.

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🟩 Malachite — Shozy in Yekaterinburg, Russia 🇷🇺

Created for STENOGRAFFIA in 2019 at 8V Ulitsa 8 Marta, Malachite wraps the building in an illusion of torn green plastic. The title emerged after the color shifted from Shozy’s planned turquoise toward a shade associated with the Ural stone; he said the ecological reading developed later through viewers’ responses. Project story at Petrograff.

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🔵 Untitled (“Plastic Wrap”) — Shozy in Odintsovo, Russia 🇷🇺

For the first Urban Morphogenesis festival in 2019, Shozy covered a tower in painted blue film that stretches, shines, and tears around the structure. He traced the idea to his canvas series and described the building as something still unsealed—wrapped and not yet fully understood. Artist statement and project photographs. Photo: Heureux.

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🕊️ Freedom — Shozy in Terracina, Italy 🇮🇹

Painted at 3 Via Toscana for Memorie Urbane in 2019, Freedom covers two sides of the building with enormous hands stretching and tearing a transparent film. The festival presents the work as a statement about freedom as both a universal and personal value. Official project page. Photo: Riccardo D’Onofrio.

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☝️ Touch — Shozy in Orenburg, Russia 🇷🇺

Painted in September 2016 for STENOGRAFFIA across 11 and 13 Yunykh Lenintsev Street, Touch—Прикосновение—sends two hands from neighboring walls toward a shared viewing point. Shozy later described it as his first large-scale original facade mural. The mural no longer survives: it was painted over during facade repairs in late 2020.

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🦋 Untitled — Shozy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪

Created at City Walk for the 2017 Dubai Canvas 3D Art Festival, this untitled anamorphic work fills a painted blue corner with reaching hands and butterflies. The Government of Dubai Media Office records Shmelev’s second-place finish in the 2017 Dubai Canvas 3D Art Award, while the 2017 award results identify Happiness as the competition’s theme. Artist post.

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Which one is your favorite?

Данила Шмелев - Малахит - Petrograff

Московский художник Данила Шмелев закончил свою эффектную работу "Малахит", созданную  в рамках фестиваля STENOGRAFFIA! Художник с 2016 года реализует

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STREET ART UTOPIA

2025-04-21 08:41:34

Two Artists Capture the Spirit of Pope Francis in the Streets of Rome

On April 21, 2025, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 in his residence at Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City. His death followed complications from pneumonia after a long hospitalization. As the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, his 12-year papacy was marked by humility, reform, and outspoken support for the marginalized. Even before his passing, Pope Francis had already become a symbol in public spaces—immortalized not by statues or official portraits alone, but by street artists responding to his message in real time. Two powerful works in Rome now carry even deeper weight.

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Super Pope by Mauro Pallotta in Rome, Italy

This mural became globally recognized in 2014, just a short walk from the Vatican. It portrays Pope Francis as a comic book-style superhero flying with a briefcase labeled “Valores” (Spanish for “Values”) and a white cape fluttering behind him. A cross hangs from the handle like a keychain.

Mauro Pallotta, also known as Maupal, created the piece to reflect the Pope’s bold approach to social issues—his flight powered not by force, but by ethics and humility.

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Tic-Tac-Toe for Peace by Mauro Pallotta in Rome, Italy

In another mural by Maupal, the Pope is seen standing on a ladder, drawing peace signs into a tic-tac-toe game above a window display of bottles. A Swiss Guard walks away, seemingly unaware of the Pope’s quiet rebellion, or is he on the the lookout? The “O”s are peace signs. The “X”s are stacked like weapons.

Painted in Pallotta’s instantly recognizable comic style, this piece gently critiques the systems around the papacy, while celebrating Francis’s consistent efforts to sneak peace into every conversation—even where it wasn’t expected.

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Mauro Pallotta’s Pope with a Heart Slingshot in Rome, Italy

Cartoon-style mural by Maupal depicting Pope Francis playfully holding a slingshot with a red heart-shaped projectile. The figure is illustrated in cartoon style, wearing traditional papal robes and a cross necklace, leaning slightly with a cheerful expression.

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Be Francis by Andrea Villa in Rome, Italy

Installed guerrilla-style on a bus stop billboard in Rome, this intervention by Andrea Villa shows Pope Francis smiling gently and holding a sign that reads: “In a world of hate, be Francis.” The format imitates an ad, but the message is far from commercial.

Villa, known for his politically charged works, turns public space into a platform for quiet resistance. The text reframes Francis as more than a leader—he becomes a call to action, an embodiment of decency in a polarized world.

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These two murals, both steps away from the Vatican, now serve as poignant reminders of Pope Francis’s unique position in modern history. Street artist Maupal, through humor and simplicity, managed to say what many felt: that this Pope tried—quietly but consistently—to steer the world toward something kinder.

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STREET ART UTOPIA

2025-04-19 10:21:29

10 Street Messages That Hit Harder Than Headlines (Political Graffiti Edition)

From brutal truths spray-painted on walls to cleverly subverted bus stop ads, this collection of graffiti, stickers, and rogue billboards captures a wave of unrest, sarcasm, and resistance sweeping through public spaces. Anonymous artists challenge billionaires, late-stage capitalism, and societal complacency—reminding us that the streets are still speaking.

More like this!: Speak Truth to Power?: 32 Photos Of Real Talk Graffiti

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“If You Can Afford to Send Katy Perry to Space” – Near Amazon’s HQ in London, UK

This modified JCDecaux billboard near St Leonard’s Hospital features Jeff Bezos laughing beside Katy Perry in a space suit, with bold black text reading: “If you can afford to send Katy Perry to space, you can afford to pay more taxes.” A direct and humorous critique of tax inequality and billionaire extravagance. By this artist collective.

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“Consume, Be Silent, Die”

Graffiti mimicking a television frame spells out: “Consume, be silent, die,” dripping with black spray paint. Two children pose beneath it—one seated, the other stretching out their arms—turning the critique into an unsettling yet playful scene of youth against indoctrination.

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“The Only Dangerous Minority Is the Rich”

This bold sticker pasted on a tagged utility box cuts through the noise with pure typographic protest. The statement plays on language often used against marginalized groups and flips it toward economic power structures.

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“Poverty Exists…”

A handmade sign on the back of a pickup truck declares: “Poverty exists not because we can’t feed the poor, but because we can’t satisfy the rich.” The words are painted in bold, uneven lettering—raw, mobile, and unforgettable.

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“Do You Believe in Life After Work?”

A twist on the classic Cher lyric, this minimal spray-painted message on a concrete wall invites a deep reflection on the meaning of freedom and the trap of wage labor.

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“Make Humans Great Again”

With a cheeky nod to political slogans, this graffiti flips nationalist messaging into a call for compassion. The scrawled heart at the bottom softens the bold declaration.

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“The Cost of Freedom”

This text-only piece reads: “The cost of freedom has never been so expensive,” neatly painted on a white billboard frame. The stark, all-black lettering amplifies the message’s weight.

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“You Are Closer to the Street…”

This sharp sidewalk commentary reminds passersby: “You are closer to the street than you will ever be to any billionaire.” Written in white marker on a discarded fridge, it turns garbage into truth-telling.

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“Do Not Panic, Organize”

This stenciled mural uses visual metaphor: small black fish are shown forming the shape of a giant fish about to consume a larger lone predator. Message: “Do not panic—organize.” A call for collective action.

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“We’re All in the Same Boat” – Artwork by Banksy in Lowestoft, UK

Painted under a bridge, three children dressed as explorers peer out from a makeshift paper boat. The phrase “We’re all in the same boat” adds layers of irony, highlighting economic and environmental vulnerability.

More by Banksy!: 24 artworks by Banksy: Who Is The Visionary of Street Art?

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“All Americans Must Be Accompanied by an Adult”

A chalkboard menu sign delivers a sarcastic jab at American political culture. Written in casual, café-style handwriting, the joke lands hard—and fast.

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From cheeky bar signs to high-impact guerrilla billboards, these street-level commentaries reveal a shared frustration with the global status quo. Anonymous artists around the world are reclaiming public space to raise difficult questions—and they’re not asking nicely.

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More: 10 Ultimate Life Hacks in Street Art

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Which one is your favorite?

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STREET ART UTOPIA

2025-04-17 09:47:47

Street Art Around the World: 5 Amazing Hotspots You Need to Visit

Are you ready for a colorful adventure?

Today, we’re taking you on a vivid journey to explore the top 5 must-see street art hotspots around the world. Prepare to be amazed by the creativity and talent displayed in these urban masterpieces. And don’t forget to bookmark this article for your future travels!

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1 Berlin, Germany: The Open-Air Gallery

First up, we have Berlin, a city that has transformed itself into an open-air gallery since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Stroll through the streets to discover a treasure trove of street art, from politically charged murals to whimsical creations.

Keep your eyes peeled for the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km long section of the wall that boasts over 100 colorful paintings by artists from all around the globe.

Some example of street art from Berlin:

By SMUG in Kreuzberg, Berlin at Berlin Mural Fest

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Street art cat by Tianooo The Cat in Haus der Statistik, Berlin, Germany

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By Isakov at Samariterstraße / Rigaer Straße in Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany.

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2 Melbourne, Australia: The Laneway Capital

Next, we’re jetting off to Melbourne, Australia’s vibrant laneway capital. Wander through the city’s narrow alleys to find an ever-changing canvas of graffiti and street art. Don’t miss the iconic Hosier Lane, a bustling hub of creativity where local and international artists leave their mark. And be sure to swing by AC/DC Lane, a tribute to the legendary rock band and a celebration of Melbourne’s music scene.

Some example of street art from Melbourne:

By Kitt Benett in Melbourne, Australia

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Hosier Lane

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Street Art by Loretta Lizzio – In Brunswick, Australia. Photo by Andrew.

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3 São Paulo, Brazil: The Birthplace of Pixação

Our next stop is São Paulo, Brazil, where you’ll encounter a unique form of graffiti known as “pixação.” This bold, angular style of lettering originated in the 1980s and has since become a symbol of the city’s vibrant street art culture. Head to the neighborhood of Vila Madalena to find the famous Batman Alley, a kaleidoscope of colorful murals that attract visitors from all over the world.

Some example of street art from São Paulo:

Batman Alley

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By Clara Leff at R. Cipriano Juca, 61 – Vila Madalena in São Paulo, Brazil

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Oscar Niemeyer tribute By Kobra in São Paulo, Brazil.

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4 London, England: The Home of Banksy

No street art tour would be complete without a visit to London, the “home” of the elusive artist Banksy (born in Bristol). His provocative stenciled artworks can be found scattered throughout the city, often accompanied by thought-provoking messages.

While in town, also make sure to explore the Shoreditch district, a creative hub filled with quirky galleries, vibrant murals, and captivating graffiti.

Some example of street art from London:

Banksy did this 2012 (London) to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee

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The Psychos – By Loretto from 2018 in Shoreditch, London, UK.

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Free Range Eggxaggeration – By WOSKerski in Shoreditch

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5 New York City, USA: The Birthplace of Modern Graffiti

Last but not least, we arrive in New York City, the birthplace of modern graffiti. From the iconic 5Pointz (R.I.P) in Queens to the ever-evolving walls of the Bushwick Collective in Brooklyn, there’s no shortage of stunning street art to admire. Don’t forget to pay homage to the legendary Keith Haring, whose iconic Pop Shop once stood in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

Some example of street art from New York City:

By Suitswon in Brooklyn, New York, USA

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By OG Millie in New York, USA

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Tom Bob in New York, USA

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Which one is your favorite?

Flower mural by OGMillie and Floratorium in New York (5 photos) - STREET ART UTOPIA

Street Artist Kamille OG Ejerta By OG Millie and Floratorium in New York, US at @ampiarooftop.

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