17 WALLS

17 Walls: Street art for a better future

In 2024, Aarhus will get 17 new beautiful wall paintings that will adorn the city center and transform it into a living art gallery with an important message.
17 Walls is a unique street art project that brings the UN's Global Goals to life in the streets of Aarhus.

The world is facing many challenges and it is more important than ever to stand together. 17 Walls reminds us in an artistic way that we all have a responsibility to create a better future.

Behind the 17 Walls project are Helle Rysholt and Mette Koudal, who have spent 4 ½ years raising funds and producing the project.

Meet the artists behind 17 Walls

Axel Void

Axel Void, born Alexjandro Hugo Dorda Mevs, is a Spanish street artist with Haitian roots. His dark and shocking art addresses psychological and social issues using techniques inspired by classical painting and drawing. Void, who started painting graffiti at 13, uses acrylics and oils, dark colors and contrast in his works, which often contain fragments of everyday beauty and integrate words to convey messages. Axel Void lives today in NY city.

BK Foxx

BK Foxx is a self-taught artist who colors the streets of New York with precise, hyper-realistic works. Her focus on animal welfare and environmental issues has made her a prominent figure on the city's contemporary art scene. Her detailed paintings reflect reality and address important societal issues.
BK Foxx's art touches people emotionally and makes them aware of the realities of the world. She paints both everyday and fantasy scenes, filled with cosmic motifs and symbolically charged objects, which gives her works a unique vitality and innovative character. BK Foxx lives in NY city and Miami.

Cristian Blanxer "Deja Vu"

Cristian Blanxer, born in Barcelona in 1985, became a freelancer and illustrator in 2008 after his art education. His versatility and exploration of new styles can be seen in his spontaneous brushstrokes and intense use of color. Blanxer's works are characterized by impressionistic light and expressive poetry.

He depicts human actions, from the ordinary to the surreal, with an unbiased approach that allows emotions to arise freely. His work is constantly evolving and reflects his continuing learning process.

Millo

Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino, known as Millo, paints large murals depicting residents in urban environments. He was originally an architect, which can also be seen in his works. He uses simple black and white lines with touches of color and often incorporates architectural elements into his works.

Millo has participated in street art festivals and NGO art events all over the world and has painted in countries such as USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia, China, India, and many more. His works have also been exhibited in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Berlin, London, and Milan.

Fintan Magee

Fintan Magee is an Australian street artist, known for his murals both in Australia and internationally. Born in Lismore, New South Wales, and raised in Brisbane, he started out as a graffiti artist before taking an art degree and moving to Sydney.

Magee is often compared to Banksy, a comparison he himself dismisses as "lazy journalism." His works focus on environmental issues and use personal stories to address broader issues such as climate change and immigration.

Hans Krull and Peter Birk

Hans Krull and Peter Birk are two artists with an extensive production, known for their fast and wild creative style without much planning. They compliment each other despite their different backgrounds: Krull from the 68 generation and art school graduate, and Birk from generation X and self-taught.

In Aarhus, they have both left their mark with works on gables, walls and entrance areas. Krull is behind the well-known "Mågekys", the entrance to Hotel Royal and the decoration of the facade of the basement bar Under Masken. Birk has created many street art works with motifs such as dilapidated fishing cutters and ornamental patterns.

Hera

German artists Hera and Akut began working together as Herakut in 2004. The duo has created works and had exhibitions globally, including in Los Angeles, New York, London, Toronto, Kathmandu and Melbourne.
Herakut's paintings are known for their sensuality and wild dualism, where Akut's photorealistic details meet Hera's expressive linework. Their works often tell stories of triumph and adversity, with humor and text integrated seamlessly.
Hera was previously a partner with her friend, but in recent years has worked alone.

David de la Mano

David de la Mano, born in Salamanca in 1975, is a Spanish artist known for his distinctive black and white paintings. He studied Fine Arts and focused on Public Art for his PhD. at the University of Valencia.

Since 1993, he has worked in the urban public space, developing a style that combines narrative and symbolism with minimalist human silhouettes. His works, often depicting balance between humans and nature, have made him a prominent figure in public art.

Jade Rivera

Jade Rivera, born in Junín, Peru in 1983, moved to Lima as an infant with her mother. Raised in the Chorrillos district, he became interested in art at the age of 11 due to poor schooling and his own curiosity. He briefly studied at the Pre-National School of Fine Arts, but developed his talent as a self-taught artist since 1997.
Rivera is known for his large murals and miniature works around the world. As an urban artist, he also works in his studio with traditional techniques such as oil and watercolor. He says: “My paintings remind me that we die every second and disappear.”

Mantra

Born in Metz, France in 1987, Mantra is a self-taught street artist who has been painting since 2008. He pays tribute to childhood heroes like butterflies, owls and birds in his realistic and lively paintings and street art. Mantra creates impressive murals with exquisite colors and deep backgrounds that act as repeating mantras in urban environments.

Known for his extraordinary artistic skills, he works freehand without a projector or grid. Mantra's works are internationally recognized in cities such as Buenos Aires, Seattle, Vienna, Paris, Lima, Quito and Bogotá. Mantra lives in Mexico and Switzerland.

Marat 'Morik

Marat 'Morik' Danilyan, born in 1982 in Novosibirsk, Russia, is an artist with a background in graffiti. He started drawing in childhood and learned basic artistic skills in the children's art school. Although he has degrees in philology and economics from Novosibirsk State University, he chose to focus on art.

Morik's work mixes figurative and letter-based elements in gestural and geometric forms. His recent works are more abstract and experimental, showing his development as an artist. He uses elements of realism, cubism and expressionism in his works.
Today, Marat Morik exhibits in well-known galleries and paints murals globally.

Mariana Santos

Portuguese artist Mariana Santos is known for her realistic and raw works that are often dreamy and nostalgic. She works with oil paint, drawing, graphics and gable painting, and her motifs depict people in everyday situations filled with both love and despair.

"My works reflect the way I observe and perceive the world. I embody myself as both a silent voyeur and as one who seeks to understand people's emotional state and challenges.”
Mariana Santos uses stills from old movies, TV shows and discarded photographs to revive the old and give it new life.

Monkey Bird Crew "Pillars of Peace"

The Monkey Bird Crew, consisting of the French street artists “Blow” (the bird) and “Temor” (the monkey) from Bordeaux, represent two sides of humanity: the realistic monkey and the dreaming bird. They seek to create a balance between dreams and reality.

The group uses various methods to spread their art, including graffiti murals in abandoned spaces, stencils in quiet streets and hundreds of paste-ups in busy areas of the city.

Isaac Malaccai

Isaac Malakkai, from Almería in southern Spain, has been drawing since childhood. His serious interest in art began with graffiti in late 1999, where he immediately fell for spray paint and street art.

Inspired by the earthy colors of the desert in his hometown, surrealism and the fine, messy lines, his work often carries a touch of irony or melancholy. He is passionate about textures created with spray cans and watercolors.

Ron muralist

The Argentine street art artist Ronmuralist, born in the province of Buenos Aires, has been exploring art since he was ten years old through colors, style combinations and new concepts.

He is today considered to be one of the world's best muralists and has impressed globally, including in England, Spain, the USA, Australia, Turkey, Qatar, Russia and Belgium.
With its hyper-realistic expression, Ronmuralist surprises passers-by with enormous works of art that highlight the beauty of both reality and fantasy.

Bogdan Scutaru

Bogdan Scutaru is a Romanian artist who creates everything from large murals and street art to fine and detailed canvases and drawings. His work ranges from fantasy to realism, and he possesses an almost photorealistic talent. Bogdan is known for his incredibly detailed sketches, which he scales up to large works painted with the same attention to detail.

Telmomiel

Telmo Pieper and Miel Kreutzmann, a Dutch artist duo, have been working together since 2012, creating realistic and surreal works with great attention to detail. They met at the art academy in Rotterdam in 2007 and combine their experiences as an illustrator and graffiti artist. Their collaboration is based on the exchange of ideas and a healthy competition, resulting in constant improvement of their art.

Several streets with street art in Aarhus

Copyright: AarhusInside