Outliers

From activism on the beach to jewels in the streets

The Protester (September 2013) by DotDotDotNuart

DOTDOTDOT (NO)

Protester

DOT DOT DOT started his graffiti career in the late 90s, operating under various pseudonyms until he took up the moniker of DOT DOT DOT when transitioning to the stencil work he is best known for.

Based in Oslo, the anonymous artist frequently references pop art and contemporary urban aesthetics, creating imagery with a playful and satirical twist.

"Protester" was initially released as a print and translated to full wall size during Nuart 2013 where it still stands.

It depicts a female protester with her arms raised, but instead of holding a placard, she holds up two bunny sock puppets.

The Protester (September 2013) by DotDotDotNuart

It was painted on a wall belonging to Rogaland theatre, which is located just outside the city centre and is the main theatre in the region. The building was initially constructed in 1883.

It was painted on a wall at Rogaland theatre, which is located on the outskirts of the city centre. The building was initially constructed in 1883 and forms part of the museum quarter.

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Beasts of No Nation – Another Place/Figure for Landscape (July 1905) by Nina GhafariNuart

Nina Ghafari (IR/NO)

"Beasts of No Nation" (or "Another Place/Figure for Landscape")

Nina Ghafari is an Iranian-Norwegian visual artist and street poet known for her paintings, sculptures, assemblages and texts.

Ghafari's installation for Nuart was entitled "Beasts of No Nation" (or "Another Place/Figure for Landscape"), was inspired by Antony Gormley's installation "Another Place" and Barbara Hepworth's sculpture "Figure for Landscape".

Ghafari's poetic installation reflects Gormley's work and consists of various figures installed on Sola beach – located next to the airport twenty minutes outside the Stavanger city centre.

Beasts of No Nation – Another Place/Figure for Landscape (July 1905) by Nina GhafariNuart

Here the objects face inland, contrasting Gormley's cast-iron men gazing toward the sea. Her installation reflects the plight of refugees, in her own words branded as "Beasts of No Nation".

Beasts of No Nation – Another Place/Figure for Landscape (July 1905) by Nina GhafariNuart

Nina Ghafari (NO)

"Beasts of No Nation" (or "Another Place/Figure for Landscape")

Ghafari's second poetic installation for Nuart shares messages such as "only love is real" and "what would you do if you were a refugee".

The installation was made on an abandoned house, in Dusavikveien, outside town facing the water.

A second-generation immigrant, Nina's work frequently engages in highlighting the inequalities of political and social life in Norway, having experienced it first-hand.

Beasts of No Nation – Another Place/Figure for Landscape (July 1905) by Nina GhafariNuart

As a multi-disciplinary artist working across music, production, fashion, visual art, and performance, Ghafari's influences range from outsider art to Basquiat, Bäst to CoBrA, the aesthetic of underground hip hop, to the Arte Povera movement.

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Object on Object (September 2019) by OXNuart

OX (FR)

Object on Object

OX is a French street artist who engages with existing billboards and advertising infrastructure by removing the original adverts and cutting and pasting them back together to create new and often humorous works.

OX first gained notoriety with the Frères Ripoulin collective in the 1980s and developed his reputation creating works on the streets of Paris and abroad.

Object on Object (September 2019) by OXNuart

OX's work can be recognised by the use of simplified abstract forms and the interaction between his chosen location and its environment.

During Nuart 2019, OX produced a billboard next to Løkkeveien, as well as a wall work in nearby Våland, which had previously hosted a David Choe work that was ultimately painted over when the house was renovated.

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Untitled (September 2009) by David ChoeNuart

David Choe (US)

Untitled

David Choe created this work, since replaced, in Våland for Nuart in 2009. The project saw Nuart expanding into residential neighbourhoods. The structures resembling the real world houses in this area of Stavanger.

David Choe created this workin Våland for Nuart in 2009, depicting a female figure with several houses sprouting out of her head. The structures resemble the real world houses in this area of Stavanger.

David Choe painted Facebook's fledgling headquarters in 2004 and accepted shares as payment.

When Facebook went public in 2012, his stock options were worth $250 million, making him the second wealthiest living artist in the world.

Untitled (September 2009) by David ChoeNuart

Used to being chased and chastised for writing graffiti in Los Angeles, he was pleasantly surprised when local residents arrived with gifts and lunches.

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A Truth That is Beauty. A Beauty That is Truth (September 2017) by Ricky Lee GordonNuart

Ricky Lee Gordon (SA)

A Truth That is Beauty. A Beauty That is Truth.

South African artist Ricky Lee Gordon is best known for his large-scale murals that aim to engage with the people and location where he is painting. Gordon uses muralism to highlight social issues and explore the nature of contemporary society.

For his contribution to Nuart and Amnesty International's Brave campaign in Hillevåg, the artist chose to pay tribute to Finnish transgender activist Sakris Kupila. 

Kupila was assigned female at birth but experienced gender dysphoria from an early age.

At 19, he began the transitioning process but encountered many government mandated issues.

Refusing this, he began a campaign with Amnesty International working to have Finnish law changed.

The title of the work can be seen painted at the top and bottom of the wall, reading "A truth which is beauty. A beauty which is truth."

Study for a mural (September 2018) by Vlady StroyNuart

Vlady (IT)

Study for a Mural

Vlady is best known for his minimal, spontaneous and socio-political street-based works. Primarily working with unsanctioned art, his practice ranges from painting to performance and public intervention.

After completing his degree in fine art, he grew disillusioned with the art world and became drawn to outdoor interventions – often with an undercurrent of sarcastic, guerilla-style activism.

The artist created "Study for a mural" on a wall close to Løkkeveien on the outskirts of the city centre.

For this conceptualist wall piece, what is usually the preparatory sketch work for a mural project has been enlarged to become the mural itself.

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Inspired by Street Art – The Big Buff (September 2018) by Vlady StroyNuart

Vlady (IT)

Inspired by Street Art – The Big Buff

For this piece in Hillevåg, an industrial area outside the city, Vlady once again grounded his work in the conceptual.

While a buff is traditionally the result of overpainting some existing work, Stroy's 45-meter long piece "Inspired by Street Art – The Big Buff" is wholly original, not covering anything in particular but simply an abstraction created from scratch on a grey wall.

Live Fast, Die Old (September 2015) by Ella & PitrNuart

Ella & Pitr (FR)

Live Fast, Die Old

Ella & Pitr are a French street art duo best known for their larger than life figures and anamorphic designs. 

"Live Fast, Die Old" depicts a pair of matchsticks, one unused and the other burnt out. 

The work is part of Sandnes Art Trail, Norway's first official street art trail, based on a desire to activate Sandnes city centre by creating a series of site-specific murals, installations, and interventions.

Though since demolished, it is hoped that more works will be produced for the trail in the coming years.

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

Lucy McLachlan (UK)

Obrestad Lighthouse

British born Lucy McLauchlan was invited to paint this coastal lighthouse for Nuart's "landmark" series.

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

It's located on the north side of the small farming village of Obrestad in Hå municipality, Rogaland. 

The square tower was first lit in 1873 and sits right on the edge of the North Sea.

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

The artist's large-scale monochromatic paintings have covered multi-story buildings worldwide, from massive billboards in China to Italian water towers and village huts in the Gambia.

McLauchlan blended the organic forms she is known for with several silhouetted figures engaging with the composition for the lighthouse project.

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

The final 36-foot work wrapped around the entirety of the lighthouse and the project was pre-approved by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, a necessity because of the structure's listed status.

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

Untitled (September 2011) by Lucy McLauchlanNuart

The lighthouse sits just a short walk from Hå Gamle Prestegård, one of the regions leading contemporary art galleries and a common site for daytrips.

Credits: Story

Photography: Brian Tallman, Ian Cox, Kalevkevad, Mooki Mooks
Design and project management: Studio Bergini
Copy: Erik Sæter Jørgensen

Curated by Martyn Reed for Nuart

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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