artrepublic.com’s guide to street art around the world

Travelling the world is about experiencing different cultures and seeing new things. Thanks to the internet street art has now become a world wide phenomenon, which means in almost every big city around the world there will be some amazing pieces to check out.

When you visit a new city for the first time, it can be difficult to know where to start to find the best street art spots. To help everyone plan their next trip we have put together a short guide to finding street art in some of our favourite cities around the world.

LA
A large part of Banksy’s film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, was set in LA as the film crew followed Mr Brainwash in the lead up to his first ever exhibition.

LA has long been home to famous artists so it will come as no surprise that the likes of Shepard Fairy call Los Angeles home. The Los Angeles County Museum of Modern Art is a great place to start on any visit to the city. The museum is known as one of the most forward thinking art galleries in the world and regularly exhibits work by local artists.

Getting out on the streets is where you will see the most interesting and current street art. Thanks to Shepard Fairy and co, tons of Obey logos and posters can be seen all over the city. As well as that there are plenty of famous Banksky’s dotted about the city. Some of the best areas to visit include North La Brea Avenue and Beverly Boulevard.

Berlin
When Berlin was a divided city the western facing side of the Berlin wall was covered in graffiti. Now, over twenty years since the wall was torn down, street artists from across the city have invaded the eastern side to create a paradise of street art.

Some of the most popular neighbourhoods for street art include Mitte, Kreuzberg where you can often see work by artists like Alias and Xoooox. No trip to Berlin would be complete without a visit to the famous East Side Gallery. The famous outdoor gallery exists on a remaining section of the Berlin Wall and features an ever changing display of paintings and multi-coloured murals.

New Yorkr
Modern-urban graffiti originated in New York during the 80s so the city has very strong relationship with street art as it’s developed through the 90s and the 00s.

Some of the best areas to check out on any visit include the trendy districts of Soho and the Lower East side where you can see work by NYC artists like Judith Supine and C215.

Williamsberg is another great area to visit while on the pursuit of street art spots. The area has been closely compared to Shoreditch in London due the number of artists and creatives that call the district home.

Londonr
London is full of street art but areas like Shoreditch and Hoxton in the East-End are congested with interesting and unique pieces on almost every corner.

Although originally from Bristol many of Banksy’s famous pieces can be found in London. Other artists like Ben Eine have pieces dotted across the whole city, but again a large majority of his work can be found in the East End.

There are tour guides who can take you on street art tours around the city to see some of the Capital’s most famous and popular exhibits. If you’re unfamiliar or new to the city these tours can be a great way to find some really interesting sites and places. However if you have visited London before walking around by yourself might mean you find new pieces that have only just gone up the night before!