The City is a Canvas: 31 Murals Transforming Urban Spaces

Psychedelic portals beckon you to enter another dimension, sea monsters lurk at the bottom of the stairs and illustrated figures playfully interact with urban infrastructure in works of art that bring color, levity and natural imagery to urban environments.

Sea Monster Stair Steps by Skurk

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The creepy sea creature lurking at the base of these stairs is enough to make anyone nervous, even in broad daylight – but just wait until the sun goes down. Street artist Skurk used two existing lamps affixed to the building’s exterior as the eye and lure of an anglerfish to terrifying and delightful effect.

Site-Specific Wheatpastes by Levalet

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Paris-based artist Levalet (Charles Leval) works with existing textures, colors and fixtures in urban environments to create playful site-specific works of art. Some are playful, some are a bit disturbing, but all of them pair sketched human and animal figures with fountain heads, drains, windows, utility boxes, staircases and other elements of the city.

Massive Murals in Italy by Millo

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An illustrative black-and-white style accented by carefully chosen splashes of bold color characterizes the ground-to-roof murals painted onto buildings by Italian street artist Millo.

Giant Bees by Matthew Willey

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50,000 bees now adorn surfaces around the world as part of the Good of the Hive Initiative, a project by artist Matt Willey aiming to raise awareness about the plight of the honey bee. Willey traveled all over the globe to paint a few dozen bees at a time in each location, with the goal number representing how many bees it takes to sustain a healthy hive.