Street Art in Woodstock - an outdoor urban gallery in Cape Town

Since my trip to Portugal last December, I'll admit that I've become a bit obsessed by street art. What I saw in Lisbon - mostly vast wall paintings by the brilliant Os Gemeos and Blu - took my breath away and little did I know that right under my nose in Cape Town was a beautiful collection of some of the finest large and small scale murals waiting for me, my camera and my Instagram feed. Nicole Biondi from Cape Town Tourism arranged for myself and Bianca Lee Coleman to do a walking tour in Woodstock, led by Juma Mkwela of Juma Art Tours. We met at Superette at the Woodstock Exchange - next time remind me to have their amazing vegetarian omelette with my excellent cup of Deluxe coffee before going anywhere.

The first stop is at the Side Street Studios, an art and design hub where owner Elad - if he is around that is - will talk you through this and that to do with street art and how and where it gets to be, or not, around the City. The route thereafter crisscrosses several blocks in the area and takes about 2.5 hours. Juma knows all about the various artists and explains the difference between murals, graffiti and gang tagging - it's fascinating and the art is world-class, a vast outdoor gallery of masterpieces created by big local and international names. From New Yorker Gia to Makatron from Australia, Masai Lou from London, Eliscer from Toronto, Ubanski from Germany and our own Cape Town based Freddy Sam,  Faith 47 and her son, 16 year old Jack Fox. Included in the tour price is a stencil art workshop with Paul Senyol at his cool studio-come-apartment. As novices, our end products were quite impressive I might add. Even Paul was impressed.

Street art, be it sculptures, wheatpaste, graffiti, murals, posters or stickers, is an incredible form of expression and social commentary, uplifting urban precincts, turning dead concrete walls into a vibrant visuals and making art accessible to people who may never get to see the inside of a gallery. 

So remember to keep your eyes open. Don't forget to look up.

Juma Art Tours: 073 400 4064. 

* For excellent info re various types of street art: http://listdose.com/top-10-types-of-street-arts/ 

But first, coffee...

Jack Fox, son of Faith 47 (age 16)...

Freddy Sam...

There's Juma...

Makatron, Gympie Street...

Urbanski & Eliscer...

Masai Lou...

Freddy Sam...

Side Street Studios....

Faith 47...

Nicole, Diva...

@allisonfoat (Twitter)

@capetown_diva (IG)

Blu who? Street art & graffiti in Lisbon...

I now love street art. The first I saw of it in Lisbon last week made my jaw drop. Three abandoned buildings one after the other, a whole block, each with an incredible mural that covers the entire facade. I’d never really absorbed how great these artworks are…incredible attention to detail and the scale, just perfect. The artists responsible are Os Geméos, Blu, Sam3, Ericailane and Lucy Mclauchlan. I'm quite new to this type of art and I blame these guys for firing up a new obsession wit it. So much so that I am planning street art tours in Paris, Berlin and Madrid in May 2015 and am going be submitting an editorial about it for a South African newspaper

There's a lot of graffiti around this city. Some of it I feel is messy, neither here nor there, a lot of, and too much drawn over ancient walls, park benches and mosaic tiles. I get that it's a form of artistic expression too but it's a pity when it messes up historical sites.

Street art that can be found wherever you look in Lisbon- don't forget to look up. Be inspired...

Os Gemeos & Blu...

Erica il Cane

Near the 'pink street'...

Messy but the tiles are beaut >

Just off Rossio Square >

LX Factory >

LX Factory >

Fado singer Amalia, a mural off Avenue Liberdade > 

Chiado >

At the Harbour >

 I like this > 

Sintra >