Best of 2021: top 25
After 3 weeks of voting, press articles, TV and radio features on Spanish, Portuges and French media all the votes are in and we’re about to countdown from 25 to 1. We’ll announce the winner this weekend in an IG live, so tune in on our socials to hear the latest.
We registered a total votes of +60.000 through our IG polls and voting form and saw more then 100 articles passing by on the interwebz talking about it. From blog and social media posts to features in local and national media and saw a lot of artists being interviewed giving them a platform to share their work and love for urban art. So this “best of” is not about being the best, but about sharing street art and teaching the general public about this influential contemporary art. We hope that this can help and support narratives with municipalities and communities and raise the necessary funds for more of these beautiful projects.
Countdown from 25 to 11:
#25 Andrea Buglisi’s tribute to judge Falcone in Palermo, #24 Dem ‘s mural in Veroia has become an icon an locals call it the ‘ Gioconda of Veria’ . #23 the mural of Ozearv is probably one of the most colorful murals in Lisboa.
#22 Dutch bookcase master Janisdeman painted these sea conatiners in Mexico City. #21: Lalone lets viewers dream away with his work in Alora. #20: Italian paste up master Bifido tries to remember the last time hugging was still normal in La Baneza.
#19 Belgian rising start Tuzq shares his love for nature with a colorful crane in Mol (Belgium), while #18 Sake doe the same in Cortes de la Frontera. Another Belgian rookie shines in Lokeren (Belgium), #17 Nigel Leirens marked the first large scale mural in this city.
#16 Argentinian Martin Ron has been one of our most popular artist whole year, creating the highest mural in the whole region of Banfield. #15 JM Brea left this giant Squirrel in Fuenlabrada, just south of Madrid. #14 and with these giant austriches Paul Watty has left an unmistakenable mark in Tilburg (NL)
#13 Repo and Cristian Blanxer wanted to highlight the winemaking tradition of the town of Los Marines. #12 Martin Ron again this time with a giant boy looking at the reflection in the local river in San Nicolas de los Arroyos & at #11 he created this third mural in Bernal hoping that this huge party wall works as a meeting and reflection point.”
10 Lula Goce in Aranda de Duero, ES
Galician muralista Lula Goce painted this next to the North Health Center of Aranda de Duero. The work of the Lula measures 500 m² and pays tribute to all women, men and families who suffer from breast cancer. Its objective was to make breast cancer visible and, above all, to influence its prevention. However, it has also served as a worldwide recognition from the artistic point of view and was promoted by the Santa Catalina Association in its effort to turn this Arandino neighborhood into a cultural hotspot.
9 Smok in Dendermonde, BE
Belgian Smok enters the top 10 with “Watch your silverback” and is part of a street art project in Dendermonde. His signatures style are portraying animals “I mainly paintanimals,” explains the artist. “People tend to think that animals don’t think, but in fact they are smarter than us. Everything they do is in function of nature, and we have broken that circle.” With his colourful, sympathetic, peaceful style, Smok above all hopes that people will get a smile on their face when they view his works and serves as a guard on this busy intersection.
8 Bane in Maroggia, CH
Swiss legend Bane asks us “How do you let your perception be influenced during this time?” As a part of Triennale di Maroggia 2021 Bane let’s us think about digitalisation and how deattached of reality we are while gazing at our blue screens. Pretty imppressive statement while you’re reading this on your smartphone, lol!
7 Mon Devane in Triacastella, ES
This work by Ourense born Mon Devane is one of a 7 This mural is part of the series of seven of the project curated by Estrella Galicia Las estrellas del camino, which the artist from Ourense conceived and created at seven stops on the Camino Frances Jacobean. In the selected mural, in Triacastela, Mon Devane portrayed Xermán Arias, a luthier who arranges string instruments in Sarria.
6 Tinte Rosa in Burgos, ES
Espinosa’s piece, located at the intersection of Avenida República Argentina and Calle Altamira, is dedicated “to all those people who from childhood, full of joy and hope, stained their hands with paint. I feel represented in them because I was like that too, ”says the author of many of the works that in recent times have embellished the streets of the city.
5 Dale Grimshaw in Murcia, UK
UK legend will never forget his recent visit to Spain! Grimshaw focuses on one of the fundamental themes of his work: the reflection of African tribal communities threatened by the relentless pace of globalization. Romanticism and ultrarealism go hand in hand in a face with a profound look that contrasts with a background with Western symbolism. This is part of the Murcia Street Art project that is hoping to attract more artists.
4 Tardor in Denia, ES
The outer wall of the Torrecremada park, in Dénia, became the canvas for one of the works by Tardor Roselló. Painted during the celebration of Children’s and Adolescents’ Day, as part of the Urbajove event, it represents the face of a young woman framed by leaves and vegetation that simulate her hair and which, at the same time, merge with the bushes that previously existed on the wall.
3 Tymon Delaat in Bonaire
Tymon de Laat was invited to Bonaire to share his professional knowledge and expertise with young people and upcoming artists. In this way he gives the local culture a boost, but in turn he was also inspired to work on new paintings on the spot. -He left his trademark behind; a large, portrait with colorful details. The mural can be found on the side wall of cocktail bar Tiki & Co. He tuned the facade with the same color palette, and on the side facade he immortalized in his own style an image he found on the internet.
2 Martin Ron in Cordoba, ARG
Martin Ron’s has done an amazing job and 4 of his murals ended in our top 25 with this one in Cordoba being the most popular. This work is located on Av. Pueyrredón street and is 30 meters high. About the meaning of it, the artist had said: “The character is called Olivia and she plays with a star balloon, she is pointing to the sky as if inviting us to observe it. In the concept there is a clear homage to the neighborhood and the observatory”.
1 Diego As in Lugo, ES
Locals probably won’t look up anymore, but this 20m Julio Caesar is the best mural in the world of 2021 according to the Street Art Cities community.
Local graffiti artist Diego As is in charge of giving color to a very crowded area of Lugo: “the state of the wall did not offer the best of images and its location allows you to admire it perfectly if you walk along the wall,” he shares. Diego As assures that the statue of Julius Caesar met the ideal aesthetic conditions to relate Lugo to the ancient world by adapting to the environment: ‘’we had to ask Heritage for permission because being next to the wall we couldn’t use many colors and that’s why it combines just different shades of gray’’.
The work is part of Urban Cores, a project that will progressively embellish buildings and public spaces in the city thanks to the pictorial technique of graffiti. The idea is that each year three different facades can be painted and this is one of them. In addition to that, this appointment with urban art includes activities and graffiti workshops aimed at the most disadvantaged youth. A proposal that the Xuventude area of the Lugo Town Hall received with open arms and in which local graffiti artists participate jointly with muralists from outside the community.
