4 minute read
Colouring the streets
COLOURING the streets
The streets of Bergen have become the city’s new art scene.
Text by: Martine Haugen
One of the artists who have colored the streets of Bergen is M.u.M, a graphic designer and mural artist from Chile, now living in Bergen. One of his most renowned works is The Mother, that you can view when you take the Bergen light rail towards Nygård.
M.u.M “The Mother”
Photo by: M.u.M.
What inspires me the most for sure is nature, fantasy and things happening on this planet that I think are important to create consciousness around, so that we can become a better society coexisting respectfully with nature, the artist writes to byLIV through an email, stating that he would like to remain anonymous.
A WIDE VARIETY
Street art has had a huge development in Bergen over the last years. Some say Bergen is Norway’s street art capital, which is difficult to determine as there is a lot of good streetart in both Lofoten, Oslo and Stavanger. But what is so special about Bergen is that they have a lot of local and active street artists in the community today.
These last couple of four to five years, I’ve seen an interesting development of the street art movement, comprising throw-ups, pasteups, stencils, pieces and even amigurumis, M.u.M states, and continues:
– Bergen has a wide variety of street artists, and dedicated street art collaborators in the form of photographers, bloggers, gallerists, entrepreneurs, collectors and general enthusiasts. All of them playing an important role in the promotion of Bergen as a street art reference for Norway and the rest of the world.
QUESTIONING SOCIETY
In the late 90’s, Banksy, who then was unknown to most people, came to visit Bergen. He stayed for three days, and in that time created 16 pieces in Bergen’s city center. Unfortunately, none of the pieces have been preserved. Even though his work is gone, he has still inspired new generations.
AFK “Question everything but this statement”
Photo by: Øistein Jakobseng
AFK (Away From Keyboard) is another artist who has made his mark in Bergen. He’s an anonymous street artist who is known for his stencils inspired by politics, and focuses on social criticism. Most of his works can be found in and around Bergen’s city center. AFK is also part of a bigger street art community in Bergen, and has displayed his art at the gallery BART, among other.
JOY
Photo by: Ekaterina Komysh @eka.street.art
JOY started making street art in Bergen back in 2013. His joyful, funny motives will make you stop and think. Since he started, he has grown a lot, and now sells his art in galleries, taking on missions to decorate both hotels, companies, universities and hospitals.
JOY “Fiskelykke”
Photo by: Ekaterina Komysh @eka.street.art
HIDDEN GEMS
You can find graffiti, paste-ups and stencils hidden on a lot of walls and corners both in and around Bergen’s city center. From Danmarks plass, and along the Bergen light rail, to Sentralbadet and Skostredet. A whole wall alongside The Faculty of Psychology has been painted to put light on all the children in need as the result of the war in Syria. The artist AFK has decorated the wall on a mission from PsycAid, and all the proceeds would go to Unicef ’s work in Syria.
Skostredet is a charming street, known for its music and small niche stores such as restaurants, cafes, and interior and clothing stores. It is also one of the streets where you will find a lot of colorful street art. It started with a wall just across from the Literature house, and continued growing. In this neighborhood you will also find M.u.M’s piece called A troll in Bergen.
M.u.M “A troll in Bergen”
Photo by: M.u.M.
FROM TRASH TO TREASURE
The view on street art has changed, and street artists who traditionally made art in the shelter of darkness, are being accepted as artists with their own walls to decorate. Bergen municipality has also allocated money to street art projects.
– But even with all this network and hard work behind it all, we are still far away from Berlin, Paris, Miami and even Stavanger. I feel that people’s mind has shifted drastically from associating street art with vandalism, to appreciating it as something beautiful and valuable. What I feel needs to start changing now in Bergen is the bureaucratic system. Especially the communal cultural department, and the public roads administration. Both could do better in creating space for street art in the form of promotion, sponsorship and permissions, M.u.M says, and adds:
