A Walking Tour Of Budapest's Burgeoning Street Art Scene

Budapest might’ve been slow on the uptake of the street art scene, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t managed to catch up. The city’s most recent murals have added colour and vibrancy to the city’s otherwise stark and naked buildings.

One of the key proponents of Budapest’s street art scene is the Színes Város group – in English, that’s the Colourful City group – which organises a number of murals on various barren walls of the city and invites artists to have their way.

Színes Város is constantly bringing new life to old walls. Here’re a few of their most recent projects, showing off some incredible creations.

Kertész Street 27

The theme of Színes Város’ last festival was gastronomy and wine, and that’s what these four murals – each painted within a particular courtyard on Kertész Street – all represent. This first mural is by German artist HRVB. It illustrates the creation of the popular Hungarian dish, pörkölt.

German artist HRVB created this mural for Budapest

Immediately beside this is a mural by Vidám The Weird, a Berlin-based artist, who returned to his home country to decorate its capital city. The unique, boxy style of his creations can be seen in this portrayal of a typical scene from a Budapest market.

Vidam The Weird’s creation on Kertész Street, Budapest

Meanwhile, Spanish artist Dan Ferrer tackled Alice In Wonderland, pairing the iconic ‘Eat Me’ moment from the book with a sense of piousness. Alice here can be considered almost angelic – despite her pained appearance – as she is soon to break out of her enclosure. It’s an expressive piece about determination and motivation.

Alice In Wonderland is the inspiration for Dan Ferrer’s Budapest mural

The last on Kertész Street is this colourful creation from a trio of Hungarian artists by the names of Fat Heat, Mr. Zero and ObieOne. It’s a neon rendition of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, a.k.a. the ‘best drink in existence’, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

A trio of Hungarian street artists collaborated to create this neon piece

Nagy Diófa Street

Not far from Kertész is Nagy Diófa and this new mural – a perfect fit for the party district of Budapest. Hungarian artist Attila Balogh portrays the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, as he squeezes wine from the grapes.

Dionysus produces wine from grapes in Attila Balogh’s mural in Budapest

Csalogány Street

Over on the ‘Buda’ side is Ruben Sanchez’s creation. The Madrid-based artist wanted to represent a more wholesome approach to gastronomy, so he came up with a beautiful illustration that covered an entire wall. His colourful style inspires viewers to adopt an appreciation for good food, instead of craving unhealthy foods.

Bright colours is Ruben Sanchez’s style, which he used in Budapest

Rákoczi Bridge

Located a bit further out from the centre of Budapest is this quaint new addition by Polish artist Pawel Ryżko, which reflects his typical constructivist style. Leveraging this style, Ryżko turned the theme into what could be seen as a classy poster advertisement for wine.

On the opposite side of the bridge is this piece by Christian Böhmer, which offers an introspective look at our connected world. It speaks to how, even in the intimate setting of a dinner date, we may find ourselves absorbed with those electronic black mirrors in our pocket.

One of the more thoughtful pieces from the Színes Város festival comes from Böhmer

Another recent piece from the Színes Város festival is this huge creation by Dorottya Jakócs, painted on the pillars of Rákoczi Bridge. It forgoes the gastronomic theme in favour of a commentary on the nature of urban development.