This month, British street artist Xenz completed the second urban art intervention of his month-long sojourn in Norway. Under the direction of James Finucane, arts organization Street Art Oslo has played host to this world-renowned talent, touring him through the Oslo metropolitan area to bring his distinct style to facades in need.
The latest work in this joint endeavor is titled “Concrete Jungle.” For this project, Xenz painted some fresh foliage onto eight gargantuan concrete columns in Sandvika, Oslo over the course of five days. A press release from Street Art Oslo states that “With a total surface area of 200m2, Xenz set about attacking the columns using the same graffiti techniques he first picked up as a 14-year-old in Hull in the north of England.”
Xenz’s skills bring soft beauty to a harsh landscape. The press release from Street Art Oslo classifies the columns he’s painted upon as “brutalist.” Tate’s website explains that brutalism is “characterised by simple, block-like forms and raw concrete construction.” Even these overbearing columns pale in comparison to the railway bridge that surrounds them.
“We knew early on that painting the columns from top to bottom would look incongruous against the backdrop of this vast expanse of raw concrete. What this space needed was something more subtle, something that enhanced this stunning architecture as opposed to camouflaging it,” Finucane wrote of the project.
As such, Xenz has dappled the columns’ unforgiving facades with gently snaking and shimmering green vines, with flowers sweeter than marzipan atop a wedding cake, with storybook birds ready to serenade princesses. “Graffiti to me is like a bird or a flower from somewhere far away that you don’t usually see,” Xenz noted. “I’ve always loved the irony that I can use a spray can to decorate as well as to damage, but ultimately I like to make beautiful paintings.”
Street Art Oslo’s release also points out that “Concrete Jungle” pays tribute to the 125th anniversary of Claude Monet’s trip to Sandvika in 1895. Art Institute Chicago calls this voyage “perhaps the most physically taxing of all [Monet’s] many painting campaigns… Nevertheless, he painted 29 Norwegian scenes during a two-month stay. These included at least six views of Sandvika.”
“Putting paint in tubes gave the Impressionists the opportunity to paint en plein air for the first time. In the same way, when they put paint in spray cans it opened up a whole new way of painting in the street. I grew up painting in derelict warehouses in Hull but it wasn’t so much about replicating the New York style graffiti we were seeing in magazines and TV programmes. For me it was about using the tools and techniques of graffiti, which were readily available to anyone, to make the environment around us more beautiful,” Xenz elaborated.
Xenz’s own eye for impressionism shines in “Concrete Jungle” — the closer one looks, the more appreciation they gain for how much detail a few well-placed splashes of paint can convey. “The really lovely thing about these columns is that the artwork can’t be seen in one view it is like a story you get little details that draw your eyes to the next bits and encourage the viewer to pause for a moment or walk round exploring,” he wrote in a recent Instagram caption.
The artwork was formally completed with assistance from Berit Inger Øen, Bærum City Council Head of Culture, as part of an event co-organised by Street Art Oslo and Sandvika By. “This work adds colour to the city,” said Davina Seljelid Arnesen of Sandvika By. “I have long been excited about this project and am very pleased with the result. Over time, Sandvika has received many well-known street art works and I hope Xenz´s artwork will have a mark on the city for many years to come. I would also like to thank Arne Eriksen for his generous donation, which provided the financing for this project.” For those who can’t follow in the footsteps of Monet and Xenz, Street Art Oslo has partnered with photographer Nima Taheri to document this latest series of murals.
Xenz: website | twitter | instagram
Street Art Oslo: website | facebook | instagram
