Visited all the art galleries in Sheffield? Try wandering the streets next time
Street art is no longer just a bit of graffiti
Sheffield’s street art scene is one of a kind, with most local up and coming artists creating outside the galleries, and onto walls around the city.
With this form of art becoming more apparent month by month, could street art be the most accessible culture scene in Sheffield?
The example you may be most familiar with is, of course, Pete McKee’s ‘The Snog’ on the wall of Fagan’s pub on Broad Lane.
The painted characters, Frank and Joy, act like a pair of eccentric grandparents showing their affection for each other on your walk to the pub on a Friday night. Other Sheffield street artists include Phlegm, Peachzz and Kid Acne: the latter famous for the ‘That’s The Spirit’ mural in Milton Street Carpark.
However, this is also the ultimate method to include a wide variety of people when creating murals about communities, specific areas, memories or themes. For example, Atkinson’s Wall Mural was created in collaboration with The Friends of Sheffield City Center, allowing a wide range of Sheffielders to leave physical legacies through this medium.
In Sheffield, street art has opportunities for everyone to express their thoughts and creativity, or opportunities to stop and stare for those who stumble past these murals without knowing they were even there.
And apart from just being beautiful, this art is completely free to admire and some of the most accessible cultural institutions you can find.
On a walk? On the way home from a night out? Going to the shops? I’m sure you can spare a second to look, and take a picture, of a McKee painting on the side of the street. I know I will always spare that second.
There are no queues, no entry fees and no closing times: you can access the art as and when you want. Even if you don’t explicitly want to; it will still find you. Drop them into Instagram posts, take your friends and maybe think about starting your own if you’re that way inclined.
Street art is no longer just a bit of graffiti on a roundabout. It’s a carefully curated plethora of art that decorates the city and only takes a minute to stop and take it all in. As someone who can get bored after an hour or two staring at paintings on walls that were created way before my time, this alternative is fresh, fun and never gets old.
The best part has to be that there’s always more to see. Even when I think I’ve seen it all, I’ll bump into another mural that same day and realise that this art form is ever evolving.
Keep an eye on the developing street art scene in Sheffield. You never know, one day it may become the art gallery of its time.