A Tour Of Oslo's Fascinating Street Art

Oslo is the perfect place for many things, one of them being street art. See, thanks to the housing crash of 1899, the city of Oslo paused the building of any structures between existing apartment buildings, leaving a lot of large, gable walls as a result. These walls, unadorned by windows or staircases, became the perfect canvas for Oslo’s booming street art – which, in the beginning, was primarily the turf of local artists such as Dolk (whose work can now mostly be found in galleries) but have now become a playground for artists from all over the world.

Untitled by The London Police

Untitled (2011) by The London Police | Courtesy of The London Police

British artist duo The London Police’s work has graced more than 35 countries (both galleries and walls) in the 10 years they’ve been active. In 2011, they brought some of their signature smiley faces to Oslo. You will find them at the beginning of Bygdøy allé.

Garbages elk Vs hunters by Zed1

Garbages elk VS hunters (2012) by Zed1 | Courtesy of Zed1

Italian artist Zed1 (aka Marco Buressi) has a very unique visual language and a great sense of humour. He has done a couple of murals in Oslo, but in this particular one from 2012, situated north of Torshov, you can probably tell what Marco thinks about hunters.

Untitled by Hama Woods

Hama Woods is an Oslo-based stencil artist, whose work demonstrates a reverence for nature and its immediate connection to humanity (think: a lot of cute animals in not very animal-like situations). Her untitled iguana mural can be found on the left bank of the Akerselva river.

Untitled by Aryz

Spanish artist Aryz has graced Oslo with more than one mural (you can see his other work, a mural at Schubelers gate in Tøyen, in the cover photo of this article). He mostly works with muted, pastel colours that are in perfect harmony with the colours of the surrounding neighbourhood. His untitled mural pictured below can be found in Nordbygata, between Tøyen and Grønland.

RøeKøe by Super A

Super A, aka Stephen Thelen, is an artist from the Netherlands who really has a thing for birds – mostly pigeons. His gigantic avians where created in collaboration with Café Amsterdam and you can find them downtown, in Kristian Augusts gate.

The Melting Spot by Atle Østrem

The melting spot (2014) by Atle Østrem | Courtesy of Atle Østrem

Atle Østrem is another example of a Norwegian artist whose pieces can be found in many places in Oslo (but also in his hometown of Stavanger). His work The Melting Spot, near the Oslo Central Station, is a perfect example of his loud and colourful style.

Munch by Steffen Kverneland and Monica Tollnes

Museum

Munch (2015) by Steffen Kverneland and Monica Tollnes | Courtesy of No Comprendo Press

You probably recognise the background of The Scream, Edvard Munch‘s iconic series of paintings. But instead of the emoji-fied screaming figure, you see a sketch of Edvard Munch himself in this mural by artists Steffen Kverneland and Monica Tollness. The eye-grabbing image also graces the cover of Munch, a graphic novel by Steffen Kverneland published by No Comprendo Press, that turns some of the famous painter’s quotes into drawings. You can admire it in Jens Bjelkes gate in Tøyen.

The Last Mohican by Sainer

The Last Mohican (2013) by Sainer | Courtesy of Sainer

Sainer is a painter and muralist who lives and works in Poland, but whose murals have adorned walls from Los Angeles and Dubai (as part of the art collective ETAM) to Portugal and Sweden. The Last Mohican, in Oskar Braatens gate in Torshov, is whimsical with a dose of muted melancholia, like most of his work.

Untitled by Alice Pasquini

Untitled (2011) by Alice Pasquini | Courtesy of Alice Pasquini

Alice Pasquini’s work explores themes like female solidarity and vitality. The Italian artist has worked for several museums and galleries in Rome, but also for international commercial clients. Her untitled mural in Oslo is vibrant and joyful, and is located just across the river from Blå.

The Grey Wolf by Jussi TwoSeven

Theater

The Grey Wolf (2017) by Jussi TwoSeven | Courtesy of Jussi TwoSeven

Interested to see more? All of the locations of street art in Oslo are gathered in an interactive map by VisitOslo.

About the author

Danai Christopoulou

Danai is a writer and editor by day, a tarot card reader by night, and a cat person, 24/7. Born in Athens, Greece, Danai spent the last 5 years as the Editorial Director of Savoteur in NYC before deciding to relocate to Scandinavia and learn how to forage berries. When not covering all things Norway for Culture Trip or all things relationships for Marie Claire, she enjoys watching superhero shows, baking cakes for loved ones and trying to live each day as magically as possible. Want to share ideas for cool features, or just cat videos? Reach out at danai.christo@gmail.com