Having just been named one of the top street art festivals in the world, the 2024 edition of Nuart Aberdeen kicked off with a bang.
Just ahead of the festival’s launch on Thursday, June 6, the Granite City was named as one of the world’s top destinations for street art by The Financial Times, alongside locations such as San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney.
Since launching in 2017, Nuart Aberdeen has attracted dozens of internationally-renowned artists to the North East as well as tens of thousands of visitors.
Alongside Spectra, Scotland’s light festival which takes place each winter, Nuart is one of the most popular events in Aberdeen’s cultural calendar. It is staged by Aberdeen Inspired in partnership with Aberdeen City Council.
A total of 11 artists took part in Nuart Aberdeen 2024, including returning artists such as Hera and KMG who transformed walls at the harbour and airport respectively to welcome people to the city.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said that the festival is something “everyone in the city should be proud of”.
5. Millo, Aberdeen Community Care Village
Italian artist Millo took inspiration from many iconic aspects of Aberdeen, such as the 17ft snowman made by residents in 1963, seagulls and even the burning of the city's trams. While festival organiser Aberdeen Inspired is typically involved in helping artists research, Millo conducted all of his own for this Nuart Aberdeen project. | Scotsman/National World
6. Mahn Kloix, Wapping Street
Almost like a paste up piece of street art, Mahn Kloix's work demonstrates "Living Heritage", the theme of Nuart Aberdeen 2024, particularly well with this piece which shows the older generation lifting up the younger. | Scotsman/National World
7. Niels Shoe Meulman, Wapping Street
A graffiti pioneer, Niels Shoe Meulman worked alongside artists such as Dondi White, Rammellzee and Keith Haring in New York during the 1980s. His calligraphy piece for Nuart Aberdeen reads: "Real graffiti writers do this illegally hanging from a rope in the dark". It can be seen on Wapping Street alongside Elisa Capdevila's 2022 work for the festival. | Scotsman/National World
8. Case Maclaim, Ibis Hotel Shiprow
Case Maclaim's 2024 Nuart Aberdeen installation peers thoughtfully over Shiprow, which acted as a hub for this year's festival. The newspaper clutched in the figure's hand even references another work from this year's festival, with lines from the poetry seen in Know Hope's Woolmanhill piece. | Scotsman/National World