Kiwi Curated
The Best Cities for Street Art
by Darren DunneThe Best Cities for Street Art
New York City
As crime and austerity swept through the Big Apple in the early 1970s, New York City’s Mayor John Lindsay took to a podium to declare a “War on Graffiti.” During this time, the city’s subway system was creaking at the seams, barely functioning and covered in graffiti tags from the city’s burgeoning street art scene.
Over the coming years, New York City Hall spent an estimated $300 million in an attempt to keep subway trains and stations free of graffiti, forcing artists to work under the cover of darkness while creating ever more elaborate works.
Following their lead, British teenagers soon created a scene of their own centered around the London Underground. England’s capital proved more receptive to the efforts over time, with the likes of Banksy and Shepard Fairey – creator of the Barack Obama “Hope” mural – crossing over to the mainstream.
From a position of initial skepticism, New York City has grown to embrace the street art movement, even providing dedicated spaces for artists to work. Shop owners and art galleries now regularly commission artists to create murals on their walls with the full blessing of local authorities. This has created a stunning set of urban murals across the Five Boroughs, and Brooklyn has proved a particular hotspot.
The Best Cities for Street Art
New York City
The Williamsburg suburb is a center for the city’s current scene, with the industrial Northside ripe with sites. On North 6th Street, artists have carved out a space between Bedford and Kent Avenues, and the likes of Banksy and Nick Walker have stopped by to add to it. Alternatively, the Bowery Graffiti Wall has existed since 1982, and has legitimized in recent years, with works from leading international street artists. It’s located at East Houston Street at Bowery.
Where to stay: Sofitel New York | Gramercy Park Hotel
The Best Cities for Street Art
Madrid
Earning more cachet for its traditional museums and art galleries, Madrid also plays host to a fledgling street art scene that’s couched in the complexities of Spanish society. Spanish graffiti is eclectic, ranging from independence cries for Spain’s autonomous regions, to tributes to the surrealist works of Picasso, and simple love letters sprawled on nondescript walls.
Named after a tobacco factory, Madrid’s Tabacalera neighborhood has become a hub for the creative arts in recent years, as well as street art. Once a year, artists will redecorate the walls of the area, working in unison to highlight an issue. Recent themes have included a lack of green spaces and pollution.
Where to stay: Gran Melia Palacio de los Duques | Only YOU Boutique Hotel
The Best Cities for Street Art
Montreal
As one of the most culturally rich cities in North America it should come as no surprise Montreal plays host to two separate street art festivals each summer. This year marks the fifth edition of Montreal’s prestigious MURAL Festival, a celebration of street art that takes place around Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Each year, a hand-selected group of local and international artists are invited to paint murals around the street during the fair, while shop and restaurant owners extend their stores into the street for browsing. The festival runs June 8th to 18th this year.
While the Mural Festival stays true to its name with a focus on street art and murals, Montreal’s other festival, Under Pressure, deals exclusively in graffiti. It’s the longest running graffiti festival in North America, originating in 1995 under the moniker Aerosol Funk. Over the years, it’s morphed to include rap battles, skateboarding and dance, and takes place on Rue Saint-Catherine during the first weekend in August.
Where to stay: Place d’Armes Hotel & Suites | Hotel Le Crystal
The Best Cities for Street Art
Berlin
Berlin’s street art movement dates back to the late 1970s, when West Berlin residents would tag the hated Berlin Wall that cleaved the city in half. Designation as a UNESCO City of Design has ensured the movement continued long after reunification, with art critic Emilie Trice even describing the city as “the graffiti Mecca of the urban art world.”
The trendy suburb of Kreuzberg contains many of Berlin’s most famous pieces, reflecting the bohemian and alternative atmosphere of its inhabitants. Artists such as El Bocho, XOOOOX and Evol live and work in the area, while at the East Side Gallery, artists have covered the remnants of the Berlin Wall with an array of political murals.
Where to stay: Das Stue | 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin
The Best Cities for Street Art
Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ flourishing street art scene is based around Hollywood and iconic streets including Sunset Boulevard, La Brea, Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue. Murals often celebrate the city’s rich cinematic and musical heritage, with locals like Alec Monopoly, Annie Preece and Smear celebrated around the globe for their works.
Alongside the murals on South La Brea Avenue is LAB ART, Los Angeles’ Street Art Gallery. It opened in May 2011, offering the largest gallery dedicated to street art and graffiti in the United States. Approximately 300 works by over 50 artists adorn the walls.
Where to stay: Palihouse West Hollywood | Mondrian Los Angeles
The Best Cities for Street Art
London
Made famous by the efforts of the elusive Banksy, London’s street art scene is one of the largest in the world. It prompted the creation in 2013 of the Dulwich Street Art Festival, a collection of murals painted by internationally renowned street artists.
This, in turn, evolved into a permanent outdoor gallery featuring works inspired by the more traditional paintings in Dulwich Picture Gallery. Around the area, pictures from the old masters have been given a modern spin, including the picture above, Fight Club, which was inspired by Charles Le Brun’s Massacre of the Innocents.
Where to stay: The London EDITION | Sanderson
The Best Cities for Street Art
Melbourne
Known internationally for its gourmet coffee culture and artistic vibe, Melbourne has been mentioned as the Stencil Capital of the World due to the breadth of stencil artworks decorating the city streets. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Melbourne followed London’s lead in embracing New York’s graffiti culture, which subsequently gained in popularity in the city’s inner suburbs.
At the turn of the century, other forms of art began to flourish on city streets, centered around the iconic Hosier Lane (pictured above). The Melbourne Stencil Festival was created in 2004 to celebrate these works touring regional Victoria and around Australia. The local scene earned iconic status in 2005, when a feature-length documentary called RASH explored the cultural impact of Melbourne’s street art.
Where to stay: The Cullen | Lyall Hotel and Spa
New York City
As crime and austerity swept through the Big Apple in the early 1970s, New York City’s Mayor John Lindsay took to a podium to declare a “War on Graffiti.” During this time, the city’s subway system was creaking at the seams, barely functioning and covered in graffiti tags from the city’s burgeoning street art scene.
Over the coming years, New York City Hall spent an estimated $300 million in an attempt to keep subway trains and stations free of graffiti, forcing artists to work under the cover of darkness while creating ever more elaborate works.
Following their lead, British teenagers soon created a scene of their own centered around the London Underground. England’s capital proved more receptive to the efforts over time, with the likes of Banksy and Shepard Fairey – creator of the Barack Obama “Hope” mural – crossing over to the mainstream.
From a position of initial skepticism, New York City has grown to embrace the street art movement, even providing dedicated spaces for artists to work. Shop owners and art galleries now regularly commission artists to create murals on their walls with the full blessing of local authorities. This has created a stunning set of urban murals across the Five Boroughs, and Brooklyn has proved a particular hotspot.
New York City
The Williamsburg suburb is a center for the city’s current scene, with the industrial Northside ripe with sites. On North 6th Street, artists have carved out a space between Bedford and Kent Avenues, and the likes of Banksy and Nick Walker have stopped by to add to it. Alternatively, the Bowery Graffiti Wall has existed since 1982, and has legitimized in recent years, with works from leading international street artists. It’s located at East Houston Street at Bowery.
Where to stay: Sofitel New York | Gramercy Park Hotel
Madrid
Earning more cachet for its traditional museums and art galleries, Madrid also plays host to a fledgling street art scene that’s couched in the complexities of Spanish society. Spanish graffiti is eclectic, ranging from independence cries for Spain’s autonomous regions, to tributes to the surrealist works of Picasso, and simple love letters sprawled on nondescript walls.
Named after a tobacco factory, Madrid’s Tabacalera neighborhood has become a hub for the creative arts in recent years, as well as street art. Once a year, artists will redecorate the walls of the area, working in unison to highlight an issue. Recent themes have included a lack of green spaces and pollution.
Where to stay: Gran Melia Palacio de los Duques | Only YOU Boutique Hotel
Montreal
As one of the most culturally rich cities in North America it should come as no surprise Montreal plays host to two separate street art festivals each summer. This year marks the fifth edition of Montreal’s prestigious MURAL Festival, a celebration of street art that takes place around Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Each year, a hand-selected group of local and international artists are invited to paint murals around the street during the fair, while shop and restaurant owners extend their stores into the street for browsing. The festival runs June 8th to 18th this year.
While the Mural Festival stays true to its name with a focus on street art and murals, Montreal’s other festival, Under Pressure, deals exclusively in graffiti. It’s the longest running graffiti festival in North America, originating in 1995 under the moniker Aerosol Funk. Over the years, it’s morphed to include rap battles, skateboarding and dance, and takes place on Rue Saint-Catherine during the first weekend in August.
Where to stay: Place d’Armes Hotel & Suites | Hotel Le Crystal
Berlin
Berlin’s street art movement dates back to the late 1970s, when West Berlin residents would tag the hated Berlin Wall that cleaved the city in half. Designation as a UNESCO City of Design has ensured the movement continued long after reunification, with art critic Emilie Trice even describing the city as “the graffiti Mecca of the urban art world.”
The trendy suburb of Kreuzberg contains many of Berlin’s most famous pieces, reflecting the bohemian and alternative atmosphere of its inhabitants. Artists such as El Bocho, XOOOOX and Evol live and work in the area, while at the East Side Gallery, artists have covered the remnants of the Berlin Wall with an array of political murals.
Where to stay: Das Stue | 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin
Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ flourishing street art scene is based around Hollywood and iconic streets including Sunset Boulevard, La Brea, Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue. Murals often celebrate the city’s rich cinematic and musical heritage, with locals like Alec Monopoly, Annie Preece and Smear celebrated around the globe for their works.
Alongside the murals on South La Brea Avenue is LAB ART, Los Angeles’ Street Art Gallery. It opened in May 2011, offering the largest gallery dedicated to street art and graffiti in the United States. Approximately 300 works by over 50 artists adorn the walls.
Where to stay: Palihouse West Hollywood | Mondrian Los Angeles
London
Made famous by the efforts of the elusive Banksy, London’s street art scene is one of the largest in the world. It prompted the creation in 2013 of the Dulwich Street Art Festival, a collection of murals painted by internationally renowned street artists.
This, in turn, evolved into a permanent outdoor gallery featuring works inspired by the more traditional paintings in Dulwich Picture Gallery. Around the area, pictures from the old masters have been given a modern spin, including the picture above, Fight Club, which was inspired by Charles Le Brun’s Massacre of the Innocents.
Where to stay: The London EDITION | Sanderson
Melbourne
Known internationally for its gourmet coffee culture and artistic vibe, Melbourne has been mentioned as the Stencil Capital of the World due to the breadth of stencil artworks decorating the city streets. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Melbourne followed London’s lead in embracing New York’s graffiti culture, which subsequently gained in popularity in the city’s inner suburbs.
At the turn of the century, other forms of art began to flourish on city streets, centered around the iconic Hosier Lane (pictured above). The Melbourne Stencil Festival was created in 2004 to celebrate these works touring regional Victoria and around Australia. The local scene earned iconic status in 2005, when a feature-length documentary called RASH explored the cultural impact of Melbourne’s street art.
Where to stay: The Cullen | Lyall Hotel and Spa