A couple of weeks ago Sulitjelma, a small village in the municipality of Fauske in Norway, was witness of the UpNorth festival, one of the biggest street art events in Northern Norway in the last couple of years.
In the late 1800s Sulitjelma was one of the biggest mining communities in Norway. At its top the population was about 3000, but after years of cutback and a shutdown in 1991, the village now only has about 400 inhabitants. When the mining company left, they also left behind a huge factory area with great walls.
The festival was curated and organized by the anonymous Norwegian artist Stein, along with Trond Solstad and counted with the participation of renowned artists like Borondo, Sabek, Deih, M-City, DotDotDot, StayOne and Stein himself.
The result can now be seen over the weathered and still walls of the old fabric that during the past weeks has become a turist attraction and a source for proud for the small community. The walls are interesting in many ways, from Deih’s cosmic-styled characters to M-City’s and Borondo’s amazing mural installations here beautifully recorded by Danish photographer Henrik Haven.
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.