There is no doubt that this years Nuart Festival has been something different addressing two important issues in the field of urban art, namely “safe murals” versus street art and activism.
One of these artists that we could place in the second category is ±MAISMENOS± whose mission is “to protest and to subvert” and whose programmatic expression is conceptually reduced to simplicity and opposites: more/less, positive/negative, black/white.
The project reflects according to the artist on “the model of political, social and economic organisation that manages life in current societies […] questioning, above all, the social implications and consequences resulting from it.”
This new mural, titled NO WAY, shows the image of the European Union flag and the word Norway, but with a little twist, making reference to how the Norwegian membership of the EU was rejected by popular referendum twice – in 1972 and 1994.
Even if Norway is closely associated with the Union through its membership in European Economic Agreement where Norway enjoys almost full access to the common market (except agriculture and fisheries) as well as its membership of the Schengen area (common border controls), but Norway also retains its own currency and the right to abstain from cooperation in areas where there is a significant conflict between Norwegian and European interests…so why should Norway give up that? No way…
±MAISMENOS± or Miguel Januario (his real name) also had the time to do a couple of interventions around Stavanger, always witty, always humorous. Scroll down for some images.
For more of ±MAISMENOS± have a look at his website.
There is no place like hope…
And at last… ±MAISMENOS± got a little help from Anders Gjennestad aka Strøk to move a few blocks during the opening night… Funny…
All images © Urbanite
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
