If you dip into my archive, you’ll find I’ve written quite a lot about street art in various cities around the world. Most of them you’ll already know about though. Every mother and her son who goes to Berlin has written about it, and the same goes for London, Lisbon and Reykjavik.
But what about Malmö?
What about Malmö? I can hear you say.
Well there’s street art there too.
Of course it can’t be compared to the aforementioned cities. But if you’re looking for quality over quantity, the ones that can be spotted in Sweden’s 3rd largest city won’t disappoint.
Most of the gigantic murals that can be found in Malmö were created for the Art Scape Festival which took place in 2014.
That year was also the first year the festival began and each year a new place is chosen to hold the festival and artists from around the world are invited to use the cityscape as their canvas. Since 2014 the festival has also been held in Gothenburg and Varmland.
Here are some of the best ones that can be found in Malmö:
The Troll by Smug One
Located in Holma, a suburb of Malmö, lies this fantastic 8-storey high Troll by Australian street artist Smug One. The artist is well known for his dynamic and often photo-realistic portraits which can be found all over the world. Now based in Glasgow he uses his adopted city as a blank canvas for his work too.
Last Embrace Before Departure by D*Face
Nearby the Troll is this pop-art mural by London-based street artist, D*Face. It also reminds me of some of the comic book murals that can be found all over Brussels (you can read about them here). He uses the term – aPOPcalyptic – to define his work, a blend of ‘pop art’ spliced with the fragility of life, and the use of popular culture as a theme.
Phlegm
You can tell UK-born Phlegm’s work a mile off, his style is so distinct and this creation located on Stenhuggaregaten is no different. I love how he has incorporated the building’s design into this piece, with the creatures crawling under the windows and moving up its tall, narrow structure.
Showcased in this piece, his work often has a storybook like quality yet feels rather unsettling. Perhaps this feeling is best reflected in this artist’s pseudonym – Phlegm – one of the four temperaments in ancient Greek medicine; blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Phlegm was believed to be responsible for an apathetic and unemotional temperament.
Magic Book by Natalia Rak
Located in the western side of the Old Town (Gamla Väster) is this fantasy inspired mural by Natalia Rake , a young Polish street artist. This depiction of a girl opening up a book with octopus tentacles emerging from the pages appears to reveal the power that reading can have on our imaginations. As they say, imagination is limitless!
Mural by Ola Kalnins
Directly next to Natalia Rak’s mural you’ll find this brightly painted number by Malmö-born street artist Ola Kalnins.
I recently read an interview with him which I’d like to highlight. First, here is an extract: ‘I’ve always thought public art is extremely important, but more so today than ever. We are constantly surrounded by advertisements, and it is as if the public doesn’t own the public space. It’s great to have art in your apartment or home, but it is not something that should only be enjoyed by the elite. Having art and culture in the public makes it something we consciously or subconsciously share. People need to feel a connection to our public space in order to give our society a soul. The biggest benefit of public art is that it brings a city to life, and brings people together’.
You can read the full interview here.
Mural by Stink Fish
This explosion of colour is located in the hipster part of town where you’ll find cool bars to hang out and there’s a nearby park popular with skaters.
Now here’s a side story… Stink Fish also created another mural with a similar aesthetic in Malmö whilst partaking in Art Scape, which, after only a few days of completion, was removed by a cleaning company who mistook it for careless graffiti. Embarrassing.
For more things to do in Malmö, see here.
Have you seen these wall murals in Malmö?
8 Responses
I am from Malmö and did not know that there are so many murals. I have only noticed The Troll, which I am not so fond of myself. Great work!
Hi Jesper, great to hear from a local! Most of these have only cropped up in the last few years and they’re not in very obvious places so it doesn’t surprise me that you may not have seen them! Haha, I think the Troll is great but I can see how its appearance might be polarising hah! Love your city 🙂
I love Phlegm’s work! I still cry over his amazing mural in Warsaw that was destroyed, it was literally the best street art piece I’ve ever seen!
Arghh I didn’t know about this. But even the story makes me sad – and Warsaw isn’t even my home! But glad to hear you’re a lover of his work Kami!
Wow! This street art looks amazing. Great pictures you captured. Thank you so much for sharing it.
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I was in Malmo when Stink Fish worked on the explosion of colour. It’s nice to see it finished. Thanks for sharing, you made my day!