Art & Culture

10 Impressive Street Art Works In The World

Is street art a real art? That is still the question of many people. But not because of that, street artists stop one day dedicating works on urban walls.
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Few people know that street art has a very long origin, in the form of animal drawings on the walls to express an identity and mark the territory of the prehistoric Indonesian community. From that began a modern street art movement in the 1960s in Philadelphia, continuing the spirit of crystallization from such communities and for the community. Each street art work is a non-verbal expression of the artist's mind and the pursuit of social change through it.

Street art is now not only unique to American black artists, but has spread all over the streets and alleys of cities from major capitals of the world such as Berlin, New York to downtown. Rats Mumbai (India), the Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok, and admit it or not, it's an integral part of a city: a simple, accessible part that goes beyond the traditional art to reach original freedoms. Therefore, each of the famous street art pieces below are also stories about the city in which they appear. Their very existence, to this day, is the most eloquent testament to how badly urban citizens need street art.

Nobody Likes Me - IHeart

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IHeart's work in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada depicts a young boy holding a smartphone, crying as he walks, with a "like" icon, commenting or following from the social network familiar to Instagram. The boy cried because no one wanted to play with him, a message that could not be closer than the psychology of modern people when focusing attention and being influenced too much by social networks, especially with young people. Strangely, it was this photo of the work of this Canadian street artist that exploded on social media and was shared by world-renowned artist Banksy.

iHeart is considered as one of the street artists that left a strong impression in the world. He uses graffiti to express his views on social issues, with a characteristic style towards simplicity but full of irony. The artist's works can be found in major cities in Canada and around the world.

Faith in Women - Lady Pink

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Faith in Women in Minneapolis, USA belongs to one of the rare famous female street artists, with a tendency to depict images and messages related to women and politics in particular. Lady Pink's style is highly reminiscent of the vivid imagination and colorful cultural backdrop of the artist's native Latin America. Faith in Women explores the feminine version of war: a small tank crashes into a passing rabbit, skulls lined up in rainbow colors. A work that depicts chaos, rebellion, but at the same time very childish, which raises questions about the largely meaningless impact of war on nations.

Little Girl with Balloon - Banksy

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It is not controversial if someone says that Banksy is the most famous street artist in the world, although no one knows the portrait of this mysterious artist. He has created many street art works around the world, from the battlefield to the streets of Europe, with one thing in common being the ability to stimulate different sources of public opinion. This British artist works mainly with spray cans and stencils, and in 2002 he painted one of his most famous paintings, The Little Girl with a Balloon, at the foot of Waterloo Bridge, London. The painting depicts a little girl in a black dress, watching the ball fly out of her hand, with the words: "There is always hope". A bright message, perhaps very different from Banksy's later works, this painting is all the more famous for suddenly disappearing at an auction shortly after with a hammer knock indicating someone already owned it.

Factory Worker - Vhils

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Located on Tsuen Wan Street, Hong Kong; This is one of the street art pieces of a lifetime in an Asian city. Portuguese painter Alexandre Farto (Vhils) does not hesitate to acknowledge urban structure as his canvas, but with a unique technique: carving on brick, plaster or stone. The results are detailed and highly artistic works. Vhils often explores themes such as the consequences of industrialization and the uncontrolled growth of cities around the world, and portrays the unsung heroes of the cities themselves. In 2015, Vhils created a portrait of a worker on the wall of Nan Fung textile factory, then the building was renovated to become The Mills creative space to recreate the poor conditions of the workers in a harsh industrial machine.

We the Youth - Keith Haring

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American Pop Art artist Keith Haring doesn't know if he ever imagined his street painting could stand on a wall in the state of Philadelphia (USA) for three decades until now, but this probably also does not too surprised with an iconic work of the marriage between street art and Pop Art. Painter Keith Haring was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, that's when he decided to fight fate with his art. The work We The Youth made in 1987 was one of the first works to be painted on the entire wall of a building in a poor neighborhood, done by Keith Haring with 14 high school students. The dancing, fun and colorful drawings are still one of the most famous works of street art in the world.

Love Won’t Tear Us Apart - D*Face

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British artist Dean Stockon is a self-taught artist of a relatively young age. From the first drawings on paper to ... not bored, this artist started experimenting on many platforms, from small sizes like stickers to poster sizes, and finally "giant" drawings on the walls of buildings in the heart of Paris. In 2017, he made a painting called Love Won't Tear Us Apart on a building in District 13: a man with a skull-shaped face embracing a beautiful girl, symbolizing the relationship that has been completed - it belongs to the past but is still present in our minds. A beautiful love story, colorful, but tinged with sadness.

NorthWest Walls Festival - Pichi and avo

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Two Spanish artists Pichi and Avo are certainly one of the pioneers to create a new form of street art when combining classical sculpture, modern painting and urban landscape. Although they have collaborated with many street artists before with impressive works, it was not until 2015 when a unique street art work was erected from 7 containers, on which sculptures of Ancient Greece were recreated, with a dash of graffiti art.

Inside out/Time is now, Yalla! - JR

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Time is Now, Yalla! is an art project made in Israel and Palestine by artist JR. The idea of the project is to collect about 1000 photos a day of people in the two conflict zones. These black and white photographs are lined up side by side on the squares or on the walls of the border areas of the conflict zone and in Gaza and Israeli cities, to convey a single message: conflict resolution and reconciliation of separation between the people of Israel and Palestine.

JR is one of France's most successful street artists, whose works can be found in many cities around the world, and gravitate towards bold themes such as commitment, freedom and egoism.

V-J Day in Time Square - Eduardo Kobra

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Inspired by one of the world's most famous photographs of love: the kiss between a sailor and his lover on the day America celebrated victory over Japan at Pearl Harbor on August 14, 1945; Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra chose a wall in Times Square, where the photo was taken. Perhaps because of the space and the theme, the work itself is a mix of graffiti, realism and colorful graphic design that really brings out a feeling of nostalgia for generations of love and peace. This is also a rare work that is much larger than reality, featuring Kobra's style with distinct colors and lines.

Eduardo Kobra is one of the most recognizable street art artists in the world, with 1.1 million followers on Instagram.

Hush! - Jef Aérosol

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"Shh!", as the title of Hush! by Jef Aérosol (Jean-François Perroy), one of the founders of street art in France. Jef's works have always left a strong impression because of their artistry and messages conveyed through exaggerated expressions. Hush! As an example, the 2011 work, near Center Pompidou and Saint-Merri cathedral, is a self-portrait of the artist himself gesturing to people to stop speaking. Amidst the constant sounds of a metropolis, stopping for a moment to breathe and listen to the voices within is perhaps the advice everyone needs. This work is so special that people wanted to destroy it in 2014, but decided to keep it for now Hush! become one of the iconic works of Paris street art. Jef Aérosol's works always have a red arrow, which he considers his second signature, although he has never explained its meaning.

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