Image via Complex Original
The festival circuit has become a way of life for many artists. Roa, Vhils, and a hoast of others regularly spend their days nomadically visiting new cities. Due to public funding, the results produced at many of these events are larger than life, bringing the attention that the sponsors hoped for. Within the usual suspects, festivals also tend to include a healthy mix of local artists. Ranging in size from smaller towns to urban hubs, the backgrounds of the murals become just as fascinating as the works themselves.
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Location: Baltimore
Open Walls Baltimore is street artist Gaia's gift to the city he has loved and lived in since he was in college. The festival is set to make its return this year with a yet unannounced lineup.
Location: Montreal
The inaugural festival in Montreal brought us some of the top murals of the year. With the stellar Station 16 printshop and local artists like Other and Labrona, the city is no stranger to talented street art. However, the conflux of international artists doesn't hurt either.
Location: Stavanger, Norway
The town in Norway has become an unexpected hot spot for street art thanks to the city's open acceptance. Nuart is a highlight of the festival circuit, as artists are often given several-storey buildings across the board. The creative talent is matched by thoughtful talks every year, including discussions by well-known theorists.
Location: Istanbul
Mural-ist Festival dates had been set in advance, and the artists were en route, when Occupy Gezi hit Istanbul. The surrounding political circumstances provided additional inspiration, as some artists tailored their imagery to reflect the struggle. Other murals, such as INTI's, created a peaceful calm out of the surrounding chaos.
Location: Lima, Peru
Peru's Latido Americano Festival displays the confluence of styles currently at work in South America. Graffiti writers paint alongside muralists, with styles ranging from abstract to representational. All of these opposites come together with heaps of saturated colors making for a visually appealing series of walls.
Location: Atlanta
Each year, Living Walls brings a thoughtful curation to the streets of Atlanta. In 2012, women took over the festival with a series of walls and talks about gender and art. This past year, several of the artists, such as JR, chose to pay tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. We can only imagine what founder Monica Campana has up her sleeves this year...
RVA Street Art Festival
Location: Richmond, Va.
Located in the heart of the South, the RVA Street Art Festival brings muralism to a city where it would not otherwise be a constant. Founders focus on a mix of local and national flavors. Most of these artists are not seen otherwise on the mural circuit, bringing some much needed diversity to the festival.
Location: Hawaii
Each year Pow! Wow! is based in a different part of Hawaii. By focusing on the islands, the festival brings international artists to a state that would otherwise be isolated. Past participants have included Wayne White, Rone, Kofie, INTI, and Reka.
Location: Lodz, Poland
Urban Forms Festival brings a healthy does of local artists to their project in Lodz. The results are astounding, demonstrating what the country has to offer street art. Styles vary from geometric to portraiture and from monochromatic to bathed in color.
Location: Mexico City
All City Canvas is an ongoing curational project that offers prints, graphic design, and of course, mural festivals. The project is located in Mexico City, an area that has a rich history of muralism. Within the bustling urban surroundings, All City Canvas reminds Mexico that the tradition is alive and well.
Location: Rochester, N.Y.
Like Open Walls Baltimore, Wall\Therapy is founder Dr. Ian Wilson's gift back to a city that has given him so much. In only its second year the festival has become an east coast favorite, with fans making pilgrimages to check out the international roster.
Location: Gdynia, Poland
Traffic Design is another example of bringing murals to a city that would otherwise not have such a wide selection. In particular, this festival has a heavy emphasis on abstract geometry, featuring the work of 2501, Remi/Rough, M-City, and Blaqk. The result highlights the themes that are emerging in both Poland and internationally.
Rise Above Festival
Location: Las Vegas
Typically, Las Vegas conjures images of slot machines, showgirls, and Chevy Chase. Rise Above aims to impact how the outside views the city through application of murals on the glitzy landscape. AEC of Interesni Kazki's tribute to the American Southwest is of particular note, representing the way its image is projected onto other countries, and in his case, the Ukraine.
Location: New York and Santurce, P.R.
Originating in Puerto Rico, Los Muros Hablan took to the streets of East Harlem and the South Bronx this past summer. In conjunction with street art friendly El Museo del Barrio, the festival focused on representing diaspora and the Hispanic experience. The walls were accompanied by a series of lectures at El Museo, underscoring the importance of Los Muros Hablan in the contemporary art dialogue.
Location: Grottaglie, Italy
As the website notes, 2013 was the final iteration of the Fame Festival. However, the beauty of legal walls is the extended lifespan. Many of the artists that Fame helped bring to Grottaglie have their work still standing, marking their lasting importance.
