Helge

Smug's large-scale photorealist mural was the first collaboration between Nuart and Attende for their Social Inclusion Through Street Art project, aiming to raise awareness about marginalised groups through art.

Attende is a job training company specialising in finding strengths where others see weaknesses, promoting the message that everyone has an important role in society. The organisation allows people with different challenges to participate in working life on equal footing with others. Street art's inherently democratic nature and popularity made the collaboration a fitting form to tackle issues like this in an inclusive manner.

For the mural overlooking the entrance to Kannik Middle School in Stavanger, Smug chose to paint Helge, who cannot read and found it challenging to obtain employment in a regular workplace. Through Attende, he found a position he was uniquely qualified for — shredding documents containing sensitive information. Helge's portrait functions as a reminder of how everyone can make an essential contribution to society.