Nuart Aberdeen 2023 artists announced

Oh boy, it’s getting closer! In the early years of Nuart, we’d have all been heading to see a new crop of murals this past weekend. It’s no surprise the team chose this time to announce the artists that will be participating in Nuart Aberdeen 2023. And it’s going to be a good on with some old friends are revisiting the city alongside a fantastic fresh array of fellow world-class street artists.

From June 8th to 12th, Aberdeen will host the highly anticipated festival. It’ll feature 13 world-renowned street artists invited to the city to create an exciting range of artwork, from large-scale murals to intricate installations. Nuart Aberdeen 2023 has the theme of “rewilding,” promising a vibrant celebration of creativity that explores the intersection of art, culture and the natural world.

Who are the Nuart Aberdeen 2023 artists?

We’ve looked at the team heading to the granite city to leave their mark. Nuart Aberdeen will again feature a talented group. The line-up includes Brazilian artist Thiago Mazza, American artist Swoon, UK-based Stanley Donwood and returning favourites SNIK.

These internationally acclaimed artists will come together with 9 others from across the globe to create stunning street art murals throughout the city centre of Aberdeen. From Europe and Iran to Brazil and the USA, these 13 renowned artists will use the city’s walls as a canvas to showcase their incredible talent and unique styles.

A London-based printmaker and visual artist of Iranian origin, AIDA Wilde is an accomplished educator who founded the Print Is Power and Sisters in Print projects. Her studio-based serigraphs are collected worldwide and are known to push the boundaries of contemporary printmaking.

In addition to her fine art, her predominant focus lies on screen-printed installations and social commentary posters featured in cities worldwide, responding to gentrification, education, and equality. She contributed to Nuart Aberdeen’s “Stuck Up” project in 2021.

Her HASHTAG series has been used in subversive projects with Brandalism in Paris and the global project Subvert The City, highlighting issues such as climate change in response to the COP21 Summit, making her a leading voice in the contemporary art world.

Gillow is a UK-based visual artist with an international reach. Her background in classical realist painting has led to her unique style that combines studio painting with public murals.

Eloise is driven by the intimate connection between her artwork and the communities in which it is displayed. She draws inspiration from her surroundings, capturing subtle gestures in body language and movement. This results in images that you can interpret on individual and collective levels.

Her work encourages reflection on the search for vitality, moments of slowing down, and a deeper connection to each other and the natural world. These themes are especially relevant in a world where fast-paced lifestyles and restrictive political and economic systems often hinder this process.

Hailing from Valencia, Escif began his street art career in the late 1990s. His work centres on redefining the city through his art, believing that life will always be more interesting than the art itself.

With a minimalist approach and precise lines and colours, his murals reflect current struggles and resistance movements. He also explores how capitalism and environmental issues plague our time. His paintings often represent subtle gestures that break through reality, reminding viewers of the beauty of the world around them.

Although much of his work is based in his hometown, Valencia, Escif has worked on numerous international projects, always fully engaging with the public and local context.

Jamie Reid (UK)

A British artist and political activist, Jamie Reid gained prominence at Croydon Art College when he participated in the student movement of 1968. He took part in an occupation of the college alongside Malcolm McLaren. Reid’s most notable contribution to art and popular culture is his iconic album cover designs for the Sex Pistols.

Despite his early success, Reid has continued to be an active and engaged artist, using his visual talents to address social and political issues such as Occupy, Extinction Rebellion, and the Free Pussy Riot movement. His artistic journey is marked by his unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries.

His distinct style of cut-up graphics and slogans, developed during his involvement in the student movement of 1968 and his co-founding of Suburban Press, remains influential and resonant in contemporary art and design.

KMG

Returning for her second visit as an a featured artists to Nuart Aberdeen, KMG is known for her illustration, painting, and printmaking. Her art explores the mundane to the subversive and reflects a curious and often sarcastic perspective. Despite a healthy cynicism, her work is playful and raw.

Her previous Nuart Aberdeen murals include the massive Ken character at the back of Union Square and the colourfully entertaining mural on the roof of the St. Nicholas Centre.

KMG strongly believes in the power of art to bring people together and regularly works with community groups, healthcare providers, and schools to make art accessible to everyone. She uses her artistic talent to make a positive impact, encouraging others to express themselves creatively.

Manolo Mesa

Mesa is a Spanish artist who began painting graffiti with his brother in 2002. After studying Fine Arts in Seville, he created pictorial work on walls. Since then, he has lived in various cities, including Bilbao, Paris, and Perugia.

Manolo has gained international recognition for his art and has exhibited in individual and collective exhibitions in major cities such as Paris, London, Madrid, New York, and Los Angeles. He has also participated in art fairs in these cities.

You can find Manolo’s mural interventions in numerous countries, including Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, England, Poland, Bulgaria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, India, South Africa, Germany, and the United States.

Murmure

Paul Ressencourt and Simon Roché are a duo known as Murmure, who met during their studies in Fine Arts. They initially specialised in different areas of art but later discovered their mutual interest in drawing and street art. Since 2010, they have collaborated on public space interventions such as murals.

Murmure’s art explores various themes, including childhood, consumer society, the environment, and new technologies. They create their work mainly with graphite pencil in the studio, developing each project before taking it to the street. The choice of wall and space is crucial to their narrative, and the interaction of the artwork with the urban environment adds an extra dimension to their pieces.

Their works can be seen in galleries and on the streets, where they constantly explore new techniques and mediums. Each artwork they create is unique, as time, weather, and also human degradation contribute to the final result.

Nespoon

This street artist has been working since 2009. Swoon’s signature style is lace, incorporated into their work to explore harmony, balance and natural order. Social commentary is sometimes included in the artist’s work, and they have created murals, canvases and installations.

Ceramic street art is a significant part of Nespoon’s work, and they use lace patterns in their ceramic designs. These motifs are traditionally used to decorate dishes. But Nespoon believes they are beautiful in their own right and creates no-purpose lace objects glued onto the streets.

Nespoon’s work explores the beauty and elegance of lace, highlighting its place in cultures worldwide. Through lace, their work explores themes of harmony, balance and natural order.

SNIK

Making their third visit to the city for Nuart Aberdeen 2023, SNIK is an internationally-acclaimed duo of artists known for their hand-cut, multilayered stencils. Their work is born from a male/female dual perspective, combining traditional craft with a progressive ethos.

In addition to their large-scale murals, SNIK has gained a reputation among urban contemporary art collectors for their smaller-scale, intricately layered stencil work. These editions, which can take up to a year to produce, showcase the duo’s precise cuts and compositional thought.

SNIK’s work is known for questioning and also accepting narrative, exploring themes of identity, emotion, and the human experience. Their unique approach to stencil art, combining traditional techniques with the contemporary subject matter, has earned them a significant following and acclaim in the art world.

Stanley Donwood

Donwood is a British visual artist who is best known for his work with the rock band Radiohead. He has been working with the band since 1994 and has created some of their most iconic artwork, including album covers, posters, and merchandise.

Donwood’s art is known for its haunting and evocative imagery, which has helped to create the band’s distinctive visual identity. In addition to his work with Radiohead, Donwood has created the official artwork for the Glastonbury Festival since 2002 and has worked on numerous other projects, including book covers and films.

He has also collaborated with author Robert Macfarlane on the book “Holloway”. Donwood’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and he was featured in the 2021 JEALOUS X SAATCHI show RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW.

Swoon

Real name Caledonia Curry, Swoon is a Brooklyn-based street artist known for her immersive installations and community-based social justice projects. She has been active for the last two decades, using realistic and fantastical elements in her artwork.

Swoon is primarily known for her street art and public installations. She creates large-scale, intricate cut-paper and woodblock prints pasted onto buildings and other structures. She creates accessible art to transport audiences while shedding light on pressing social and environmental issues.

In addition to her visual art, Swoon has explored visual storytelling through film and animation. She has created short films and animations incorporating elements of her street art and installations. This further expands the scope of her creative output.

Tamara Alves

Alves is a Portuguese visual artist and illustrator. She has always been interested in art that’s integrated into the world and fascinated by the aesthetics and urban context of the streets, leading her to present her artwork in public spaces.

Her artistic narrative celebrates the raw and poetic vitality of sensations. Alves invites the viewers to embrace their feelings as a wild and untamed driving force, depicting love as a complex emotion encompassing pain and pleasure, tears and joy, wound and ecstasy.

Tamara Alves’ work weaves together themes of instinct, emotion, and the relationship between humans and nature. Her art is evocative and thought-provoking.

Thiago Mazza

The final artists for Nuart Aberdeen 2023 is Thiago Mazza, a Brazilian artist and self-taught painter. He began with graffiti writing, which sparked his interest in painting walls. He has since become one of the prominent figures in Brazilian muralism.

Thiago Mazza’s artwork is influenced by classical painting, street art, and contemporary art, blending these influences into a unique style. His work often involves collecting and painting local plants and bringing nature into urban environments.

Mazza’s paintings create a dialogue between nature and the city. His artwork is known for its vibrant and lush depictions of tropical flora. His work also reflects a deep connection with the natural world and a passion for bringing the beauty of nature into urban spaces through his art.

Follow us for more Nuart Aberdeen 2023

Nuart Aberdeen takes place from 8–12 June 2023. As always we’ll be covering this world class street art festival right here in the city. You can expect more articles, photographs and videos over the next few weeks. You can find us in the usual places.