Thanks to annual street art festival Nuart, the Granite City has become one of the world’s top destinations for street art.
Alongside cities such as San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, the Financial Times ranked Aberdeen among the world’s top six locations for street art.
It’s thanks to Nuart Aberdeen, the city’s annual street art festival which first launched in 2017.
Organised by Aberdeen Inspired, in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, Nuart has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the region, as well as dozens of internationally-acclaimed artists.
Bahia Shehab and Niels Shoe Meulman were among those taking part in the 2024 event, alongside returning talents such as Hera and KMG.
With more than 60 works now located around Aberdeen, from huge murals to playful figures hidden around the city, here are 27 of the best Nuart Aberdeen murals from across the years.
13. Nuart Aberdeen 2022: Nuno Viegas
Nuno Viegas, also known as Metis, is a Portuguese artist inspired by the graffiti scene. Often using his art to present contrast between the visually aggressive reality of traditional graffiti and a peaceful and clean representation of the work, Viegas’ 2022 mural is a bold demonstration of this. Featuring a floating mask and headscarf and surrounded by a vibrant yellow background, the mural is similar to another which Viegas created for the Stavanger festival. Perched on the opposite side of the building to Henrik Uldalen’s 2021 mural which can also be spotted from Gerrard Street, this bold mural brightens up the space around it. | Brian Tallman
14. Nuart Aberdeen 2018: Phlegm
Unlike some of the more colourful murals which have become part of Aberdeen’s scenery, this black and white illustration by Sheffield artist Phlegm is an apt introduction to the Granite Mile. Located on the side of the Tesco Express to the West End of the city, Phlegm’s art nods to Aberdeen’s past with a number of workers chiselling away at stone amid a quarry of giant stone pillars. | Lauren Jack/The Scotsman
15. Nuart Aberdeen 2024: Case Maclaim
this work by Case Maclaim is located on the side of the Ibis Hotel in Shiprow. A member of the Ma’Claim Crew, for more than two decades he has been a pioneer of photorealism mainly using spray paint. This work pays homage to another project from the 2024 festival by Know Hope. | Scotsman/National World
16. Nuart Aberdeen 2023: SNIK
Participating in Nuart for the third time, acclaimed duo SNIK’s Thistle Lane mural is a layered and often delicate piece, which uses a combination of techniques and stencils to create a textured and often delicate artwork – despite its large scale. Florals and leaves tangle with long hair and gauzy fabrics, with hints of classical art movements, scrutinised from modern male and female perspectives. Well hidden, but certainly walkable from Union Street, this project can be found on Thistle Lane, at the back car park for the Girlguiding Aberdeen Guide Shop. | Clarke Joss/clarkejossphotography.co.uk