Outdoor murals are a beautiful reflection of a local community: some are political statements or tributes, others portray wildlife or history then a few are just artistic expressions. I enjoy them all when painted with passion by a talented artist.
Outdoor murals are a beautiful reflection of a local community: some are political statements or tributes, others portray wildlife or history then a few are just artistic expressions. I enjoy them all when painted with passion by a talented artist.
Beginning in the mid-18th century, many people were imported for slavery from Africa to George Town. By the turn of the century, about half of the island’s residents were slaves until it was abolished in 1833. This painting by artist John Broad is called the Emancipation of Slavery. It is one panel of the Wall of History along the Courthouse wall celebrating Cayman Islands’ events from 1503 until 2003.
61 Edward St, George Town, Cayman Islands
In an underpass near the Castle of Eger, Hungary, is this cartoonish pink cop with bulging eyes and mouth gag mural. It must have some significance but I am not sure what it means or represents.
Eger, Dózsa György tér 8, 3300 Hungary
In an underpass near the Castle of Eger, Hungary, is this Charles Lee Ray mural, better known as Chucky. This serial killing doll holding a bloody dagger appears as he did during the first three “Child’s Play” movies. However, it looks like a passing vandal tried to add the scars and stitches on Chucky’s face that were introduced in 1998 during the fourth movie in the series, “Bride of Chucky.”
Eger, Dózsa György tér 8, 3300 Hungary
In an underpass near the Castle of Eger, Hungary, is this menacing wall mural of a pirate face wearing a red bandana with tattoos covering his steroid-raging arms and smoking a cigarette.
Eger, Dózsa György tér 8, 3300 Hungary
Street art is often the domain of rogue individuals wielding a can of spray paint. In most cities, the result is unsightly graffiti. A few cities across the world sponsor and carefully select both the painters and their themes, yielding marvelous outdoor art. Reykjavík may be unique because ten of the murals adorning city center were a collaboration between accomplished visual and musical artists. For each project, a musician would write a song and the muralist would create their interpretation. Here, Caratoes painted Ylja’s song “Óður til móður.” The title means, “Oh, mother.” The event called Wallpoetry was organized in 2015 by Iceland Airways.
Laugavegur 23, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
If you appreciate good murals, then stroll around the Heimaey Harbour to find several excellent pieces of outdoor art. This one was painted by Australian-born street artist Guido Van Helten. His specialty is rendering realistic faces from vintage photos from the Reykjavík Museum of Photography and similar sources. The genre has been called “hyperrealist portraits.” This is an image of local woman Halla Svavarsdóttir. More of Guido’s street art decorates Reykjavík plus major cities in other countries.
Básaskersbryggja 8, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
This mural is tribute to The Rolling Stones, the counterculture rock and roll band formed in 1962. In January of 1965, they performed six times during their Irish Tour including two shows at the Savoy Theatre in Cork. This mural celebrates the 50th anniversary of the concert. Featured left to right are: Keith Richards (guitarist), Bill Wyman (bass guitar) and legendary Mick Jagger.
7 Crosse's Green, The Lough, Cork, Ireland
This ensemble of entertainers who all died prematurely is part of a three-story mural on the side of Sally Longs Rock Bar at Abbeygate Street. Commissioned by Noel O’Dwyer and painted in 2007 by Ciarán Dunlevy, it was the young muralist’s first public artwork. Featured among the legends are Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley.
33 Abbeygate Street Upper, Galway, Ireland
As a fan of gorgeous street art, this stylized duck mural on St Mary’s Lane immediately caught my eye. Born in London, artist Dan Leo specializes in painting Irish wildlife with a cartoonish flair. His work on canvas is frequently exhibited in solo exhibitions in Kilkenny.
1 St Mary's Ln, Collegepark, Kilkenny, Ireland
This large fresco of “Venus on a Seashell” and Cupid riding a dolphin are on a garden wall within a peristyle at Casa di Venus. The painting, sometimes called Venus Anadyomene, was excavated in 1960. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, fertility, seduction and sex. Many of the discovered frescos, mosaics and statues were considered so erotic they were locked away for over a hundred years before going on exhibit in 2000. A large collection of artifacts from Pompeii and surrounding Vesuvian towns are on display in the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
Via dell’Abbondanza & Vicolo della Venere, 80045 Pompei NA, Italy
A subway station is an unlikely place for gorgeous public artwork. The Tsukijishijo Station serving the Tsukiji Fish Market is a delightful exception. This image of a geisha girl – with her characteristic white makeup and red lips – is part of a large mural representing ukiyo-e woodblock painting. This art is part of the Oedo Line’s extensive effort to reflect the local culture in their stations.
5 Chome-3 Tsukiji, Chūō-ku, Tōkyō-to 104-0045, Japan
This detail of the “Nine Old Men” mural is one of several in the Rear Corridor of Khoo Kongsi. It depicts a mid-9th century meeting with Bai Juyi, a Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty. This summit was intended to promote good health and longevity. These bearded elders are calmly studying the twin fish chart. In Chinese philosophy, this represents the yin and yang between heaven and earth. Off camera are four other men huddled over a game of chess.
18, Cannon Square, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
This sea mural at Centro Ecológico Akumal’s headquarters celebrates the precious marine ecosystem around Akumal Bay. The beautiful painting was graciously donated by artist Lauren Floden. These Mexican Caribbean waters are part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The Great Maya Reef stretches for over six hundred miles. This makes it the world’s second largest. It is a haven for snorkelers who thrill at seeing turtles, manta rays, barracudas, manatees, colorful fish and vibrant coral.
Carretera Puerto Juarez ~ Tulum Km. 104, 77776 Akumal, Q.R., Mexico
Cozumel’s coastal waters are blessed with an abundance of turtles. From April through September, loggerheads and green turtles lay their eggs along the eastern shore. Giant leatherbacks and hawksbill sea turtles like this one are frequently seen searching for food in the reefs and among the bays. This wonderful mural by Datoh Sanah at the Money Bar Beach Club celebrates these delightful reptiles.
The Money Bar, Carretera Chancanab 25, Zona Residencial, 77663 San Miguel de Cozumel, Q.R., Mexico
This magnificent painting was created by Street Art Chilango, a community of organized and talent artists founded by Jenaro de Rosenzweig and Álex Revilla. They have adorned bare walls in Mexico City and across the country since 2013. The group has received several awards, praise by traditional and social media plus been recognized as ambassadors for tourism. The artists sponsor much of their own work but also produce murals for commercial clients and private residences. This painting is on 5th Avenue at the base of Frida Kahls Restaurante. The Mexican cuisine eatery is named after Frida Kahlo who is portrayed in this mural. She was a celebrated, 20th century Mexican painter.
Calle Quinta Avenida 455, Centro, 77720 Playa del Carmen, QROO, Mexico
The town of Tulum, Mexico, is best known for its well-preserved coastal Mayan ruins including the El Castillo or The Castle shown in this 2009 mural by Mamubas. But Le Pueblo is also proud of its wild Yucatán Peninsula inhabitants like the Goldman’s jaguar and colorful toucan. The bicycle is real.
This brightly painted sanitation truck is in De Wallen, more commonly called the Red Light District. This historic neighborhood of Amsterdam is lined with over 350, one-room prostitute cabins plus sex shops, erotic theaters and numerous “coffeeshops” that sell cannabis. Perhaps the truck is busy helping the city clean up after their campaign to close down some of the sex trade and marihuana cafes.
There are several wall murals on former warehouses along West Quay at Ahuriri. The most poignant is titled “Ingested Plastic Pollutions/Lonely Whale.” The blue whale averages 98 feet in length. This painting by New Zealand artist Dside is at full scale. Although this giant marine mammal has no natural predators, they are severely impacted by the ten million tons of plastic dumped annually into the world’s oceans. The sponsor for his mural was Resene Paints Ltd., New Zealand’s largest privately-owned paint manufacturer and distributor.
Customs Quay, Ahuriri, Napier 4110, New Zealand
With an estimated population of 50,000, the New Zealand fur seal is a common site along the coasts. Yet they were nearly hunted to extinction by the early Polynesian and European settlers. The other crowned creature is an elephant seal. To build awareness of the plight of New Zealand marine animals, artist Flox participated in the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans festival in 2017. This was the second year international artists were invited to Napier to create large-scale murals with an ocean environment theme. The event is sponsored by the PangeaSeed Foundation. Flox is an accomplished artist from Auckland. She specializes in paintings of birds, flowers and ferns. In preparation for this mural titled “Honor and Trust,” she created an enormous, hand-cut stencil.
38 Marine Parade, Napier 4110, New Zealand
Fiordland crested penguins once thrived on New Zealand promontories and islets. Their population has plummeted because of fishing nets, oil spills and other human disturbances. They are now listed as vulnerable to extinction. Celeste Byers chose this topic for her mural in the 2016 Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans festival. In the corner of the painting she wrote, “Dedicated to the Fiordland crested penguins and all of New Zealand’s 17 penguin species. Long may you live.”
195 Dickens St, Napier 4110, New Zealand
Artist Cinzah Merkins is a resident of Napier. In 2016, he co-produced the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans festival organized by the PangeaSeed Foundation. 29 worldwide artists participated in this campaign to raise awareness of critical ocean issues. Cinzah worked alongside Jason Botkin to create a 427 foot mural on the bay-facing side of the National Aquarium of New Zealand. The painting is a blend of Māori legends and huge endemic sea creatures. The goal was to address the importance of Marine Protected Areas.
546 Marine Parade, Napier South, Napier 4110, New Zealand
The mural titled, “You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone” was a collaborative effort between Amanda Lynn and Dirty Bandits. The elegant painting of fashionable women wearing bird hats measures 30 by 40 feet. The goal was to raise awareness of two endangered species of New Zealand seabirds. The fairy tern was once widespread yet only 40 remain. The Chatham Island taiko was hunted to near extinction with only 200 survivors. This mural was painted in 2016 during the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans festival.
164 Dickens St, Napier 4110, New Zealand
It took four years – from 1508 until 1512 – for Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling including the famous Creation of Adam. Considerably less time was required to create this 19.6 x 44.2 foot reproduction in Auckland. Actually, less than one day. The image consists of 12 panels generated on a laser printer. The project was produced in 2014 by Osmand Signs for Samsung.
Wyndham St & Federal St, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Shark finning is the barbaric practice of catching a shark, cutting off its seven fins and throwing the fish back into the sea where it drowns. The $1.2 billion dollar industry harvests over 70 million sharks a year. The fins are sold as a delicacy for shark fin soup. This is banned in most countries but not in New Zealand. In an effort to support the New Zealand Shark Alliance’s lobbying to change the laws, artists BMD created this 165 by 20 foot mural in 2013. The 190 sharks painted on the side of a parking lot represent the number of sharks killed worldwide every minute. The campaign worked. In October of 2014, shark finning became illegal in New Zealand.
100 Cable St, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Most of Dunedin’s professional murals adorn the Warehouse District, an area extending two blocks east and west of lower Princes Street. Approximately 30 artworks have been commissioned by Dunedin Street Art. They are a volunteer group who invite international artists to convert bare walls into expressive canvasses. They also provide opportunities for young local artists such as Jon Thom. The first-time muralist painted this portrait of Annabel on Vogel Street. Thom also applies his artistic talent to running Moodie Tuesdays, a T-shirt company.
8 Vogel St, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
Mural enthusiasts will be thrilled by the outdoor art gallery along Dunedin’s streets and alleys. An example is this captivating painting of two local boys titled, “Chasing the Thin White Cloud.” Australian native Fintan Magee specializes in renditions of people on a grand scale. His work has been commissioned in over a dozen countries. This three-story mural adorns the rear of the Southern Cross Hotel. It is best reached from behind the Crown Hotel on Rattery Street.
149 Rattray St, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
In sharp contrast to Phlegm’s black and white works, New Zealand street artist Sean Duffell embraces colors and lots of them. Also characteristic of his style are symmetrical yet flamboyant shapes which invariably conceal a set of large, peering eyes. This abstract painting in a very, very cramped alley off of Jetty Street was created in 2014 as part of the Dunedin Street Art Festival.
43 Jetty Street, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
You do not have to walk far from Fintan Magee’s art to admire another enormous mural. The painting of a mystical woman in repose among flowers was created in 2015 by Bezt. It is titled, “When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted.” This name does not make sense until you learn two arrows originally impaling the woman are now missing from her open hands. Bezt is one of a pair of street artists from Poland who call themselves Etam Cru. This example of their fairy-tale style is located in a parking lot behind the Broadway Medical Centre Dunedin on the corner of Broadway & High Street.
2 Broadway, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
There are currently 28 murals along the Street Art Trail in Dunedin. A map is available online from Dunedin Street Art so you can find and admire all of the outdoor art during a two to three hour, self-guided walking tour. The most prolific muralist is Phlegm from the United Kingdom. This is one of his five works you will discover. He specializes in odd, fantasy creatures typically created in black and white with endless shades of gray. At first glance, this giant fish appears to be swallowing a fleet of sailboats. The ships are canoes (waka) used by the ancestral Māori people who once populated Dunedin. This painting is title, “Maori Waka and Steampunk Submarine.”
76 Vogel Street, Dunedin, 9077, New Zealand
Owen Dippie specializes in recreating Renaissance art on a grand scale. He was born nearby in Kawerau in 1984. His incredible talent with spray cans has earned him international commissions, recognition and awards. Fortunately, several of his murals grace the walls around Tauranga. This is OD’s 88.5 foot rendition of The Birth of Venus. The original by Italian master Sandro Botticelli was painted in the late 1480s and now hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
32 Harington St, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer focused his brushstrokes on depicting middle-class women. After his death in 1675, his work went largely unrecognized for centuries. One of Vermeer’s few masterpieces is Girl with the Pearl Earring. The 17.5 x 15 inch oil painting is displayed in the Mauritshuis art museum in the Netherlands. Local artist Owen Dippie created this 9.8 foot mural on the Kale Print Building in 2013.
219 Cameron Rd, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
Charles Fredrick Goldie from Auckland originally created this likeness of Ina Te Papatahi as an oil painting in 1902. She is shown with traditional facial tattoos (moko) and smoking a pipe. The artist painted 17 more portraits of the Ngāpuhi chieftainess. From 1902 until 1941, Goldie continued to immortalize the images of Māori elders. His work is featured in several New Zealand art museums. Local artist Owen Dippie created this reproduction on Willow Street in 2012.
90 Willow St Parking, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
Charles and Janice Williams are accomplished urban artists. As part of a crew called TMD (The Most Dedicated), the couple specializes in portrayals of Māori heritage. This mural entitled The Messenger was created in 2017 as part of the Paradox Tauranga Street Art Festival. This owl is called Ruru or Morepork. The bird is often featured in Māori folklore. Sometimes the owl is associated with the underworld as predictors of death. Other times they are a spiritual guardian (kaitiaki). If you look closely at Māori wood carvings, you will notice they often have wide eyes resembling an owl.
24 Dive Cres, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
Protagoras was a 5th century BC Greek philosopher. As a sophist, he was a teacher of virtue and pontificated on how a city’s affairs should be properly managed. Street artist MTO leveraged this by calling his mural on Talbot Street the Son of Protagoras. The 2014 street art at the War Memorial features a red hair man holding a dead pigeon. The image represents the conflict between the Irish Catholic nationalists and the Protestant unionists plus the peace walls separating their Northern Ireland neighborhoods. The two arrows bear the symbols of the Knights of Malta and the Latin Cross.
21 Talbot St, Belfast BT1 2LD, UK
During the construction of the new National Museum, a 200 foot safety wall was converted into a canvas for public art by the Nobel Peace Center. It was called the Peace Wall. This mural is a detail of art called Mare Nostrum – Our Ocean. It was painted in June of 2015 by Torunn Skjelland and Vigdis Fjellheim and remained on display until April of 2016.
Nobels Fredssenter, Brynjulf Bulls Plass 1, 0250 Oslo, Norway
Since street art was decriminalized in Bogotá in 2011, it has become a haven for talented graffiti artists resulting in over 5,000 murals. Among those living in Colombia’s capital city is Camila Maria Bernal Toro. She is known by her signature “Remedios.” She created this delightful painting in an alley of Casco Viejo. It shows a bald woman with blue lips wearing a bright orange blouse and holding a globe. It seems perfectly accented by the real plastic chair and broom in the foreground.
Calle 9a Este & Av. B, Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama
Aficionados of street art will love visiting the tourist town of Miraflores near Lima. This wealthy city of about 93,000 caters to beach goers, surfers and shoppers plus hosts lots of pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and high-end hotels. Missing from the tourist books is a description of all the murals that grace the town’s walls, like this cubism-style woman with a third eye. It is the work of Pésimo, a Peruvian street artist who often works as a team with Entes. Together they created Latido Americano, an annual festival in Lima for graffiti artists.
FALN was an acronym for a paramilitary group who sought Puerto Rico’s independence from 1974 until 1983. Their tactics included the bombing of U.S. targets. One of its notorious leaders was Oscar López Rivera. In 1981, he was convicted to 55 years at a U.S. penitentiary. On January 17, 2017 – three days before leaving office – President Obama granted Rivera clemency. This street art appeared in San Germán to celebrate the event.
Plaza Santo Domingo, Cll Ruiz Belvis, San Germán 00683, Puerto Rico
This mural of a hiker picking a mushroom from the woodlands looks like a scene from a fairytale. It is my favorite part of a huge street painting on Ingram Street called, “Fellow Glasgow Residents.” The rest of this art by Smug One features wild animals residing in and around the city. You can see this and other spectacular outdoor art on the Glasgow City Centre Mural Trail.
68 Ingram St, Glasgow G1 1DJ, UK
This fox, deer and elk are part of an enormous mural facing the Ingram Street parking lot. The painting features wildlife living in the city parks, hence the name, “Fellow Glasgow Residents.” This photorealistic work of art is by Sam Bates, known on the street as Smug One. With talent like this, Sam has every reason to be smug.
68 Ingram St, Glasgow G1 1DJ, UK
Bobby McNamara is a talented local street artist who is better known as Rogue-One. He is justifiably proud of his unique style evident in this painting on John Street called, “Hip Hop Marionettes.” The images were inspired by the 1980’s bands Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. The prolific, often commissioned muralist is so determined to differentiate between graffiti and lasting artwork that he started a design course at Cardonald College.
John St & George Street Glasgow G1, UK
This striking mural graces the six-story façade of the Townhead Campus building, part of the City of Glasgow college. The abstract, mirrored profiles of model and journalist Leilani Momoisea can’t be missed while driving along Cathedral Street. “In Common” was painted by her friend, a New Zealand artist named Askew, during the Festival 2014.
190 Cathedral St, Glasgow G1, UK
Málaga has many talented street artists. Among the best is Doger. Born in Zaragoza, Spain, Jonathan Morillas began spray painting graffiti in 1995. His technique has evolved into an outdoor portfolio of predominately female portraits. His style is realistic, graceful and exquisite. Doger is quoted as saying of his work, “A multitude of wonderful colors that cascade while expressing with precision and elegance.”
Plaza Enrique García-Herrera, 29005 Málaga, Spain
Málaga has a disproportionate number of excellent museums … 30 in total. Aficionados of street art will be thrilled to see superb murals gracing the city’s walls, especially in the SOHO area. This urban renewal project is sponsored by MAUS (Málaga Arte Urbano Soho). On the left is a fighter pilot painted by Dean Stockton. The street name of this pop artist from London is D*Face. On the right is Shepard Fairey’s visualization of the song Paz y Libertad (Peace and Liberty) composed by Jose-Luís Orozco. Both Fairey and Orozco live in Los Angeles. These paintings are seven stories high.
Avenida de Manuel Agustín Heredia, 34, 29001 Málaga, Spain
Estación de Autobuses is near the Christ of the Expiration Bridge (Puente Cristo de la Expiración). On the side of the main bus station at Plaza de Armas is this giant mural. The dominant feature is a sleeping youngster painted by Raul Ruiz. This artist from Granada, Spain goes by the street name El Niño. This means The Child. The balance of the wall, decorated by numerous artists, is a kaleidoscope of images such as a watchful angel with a devilish grin.
Plaza de Armas, Calle Arjona, s/n, 41001 Sevilla, Spain
This massive, colorful eye painting on the side of 99 foot ship is the work of David Walker who lives in Berlin. He painted it in 2015 as part of the HX Festival sponsored by Add More Colors. They specialize in very large scale murals by some talented artists. The boat is moored along the Hamntorget. In the background is The Tivoli nightclub which used to be the ferry station for Helsingborg.
Kungsgatan 3 252 21 Helsingborg, Sweden
This is one of the 178 mural paintings within the galleries surrounding a portion of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha Court. They tell the story of Ramakien, also called the Glory of Rama, which is the national epic of Thailand. It was adapted for the Thai culture from a similar Hindu epic that was written over 2,000 years ago.
Na Phra Lan Rd, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
The walls inside the newest viharn at Wat Chiang Man are decorated with beautiful paintings like this one that is a scene from Thailand’s national epic called Ramakien. Adopted from a Hindu story, this mural shows Sida’s son Mongkut (or Kusa) and his friend Lop (Lava) riding a white horse that was released by Rama. On the left is Hanuman, the God-king of apes and a monkey general.
Phra Pok Klao 13 Ko. Alley, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
This mural on a 17th century building is entitled “A Warm Welcome.” It is a historical reference to when Northgate Street was Caernarfon’s red-light district. The 40/60 refers to the cost of a room, a bottle of gin and the company of a woman for the night. The painting also welcomes guests to the Black Boy Inn, a bed and breakfast that includes a pub and restaurant. Although its name may be controversial now, the moniker dates back to when it was established around 1522.
1 Stryd Pedwar a Chwech, Caernarfon LL55 1RW, UK