Streetart Malta – Conservative in ochre, but studded with small Diamonds
Malta was initially a disappointment when it comes to street art. Everywhere only the color ochre and ochre and again ochre on these strange conservative stones. But in between, and often half-hidden, there are still small oases of urban art. Some of these creative spaces have been generated by the fantastic crew of ADD MORE COLORS during the few utterly legendary MALTA STREETART FESTIVALS, while another important spot is certainly the colorful and famouse MSIDA SKATE PARK, of which the MSA MALTA SKATEBOARD ASSOCIATION is taking care of. But we found even more super awesome and also less awesome stuff. Especially the great local artists COOKER, JUSTINK’S AND MURALS or TWITCH should be mentioned here. They are talented productive and heartful busy all over the island by bringing diversity on this rock. Or let´s say multiple rocks. There are some more islands. And yes, we have also streetart footage even from the island Gozo! Check out the huge gallery with around 1000 photos and numerous sub-articles.
>>> READ MORE
Msida Skate Park
The area of the Msida Skate Park is relatively large and equipped with a variety of ramps, quarters and other skater toys. In the eastern part there is even a small pool. For skaters the visit is all the more worthwhile, here you can get excited. But this place is also a treat for graffiti fans and streetart friends! Not only is the skate park painted from top to bottom, but of course also any adjacent walls. But also all the entrances, tunnels and stairways. Just everything! It’s wonderful! Here’s really a lot of damn good art to find!
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Exiles Beach – Promenade Graff Ground
In the main article we have already reported in detail about the Streetart Festival Malta. The website of the last event in 2015 has been preserved as a reminder and is certainly worth a look. It all started in 2013 as the Sliema Streetart Festival in the district of the same name. The Maltese crew of ADD MORE COLORS have combined all kinds of underground styles, from graffiti to tattoo, to handmade market or integrated comic convention, and in addition, artists from all over the world came to visit Malta.
>>> READ MORE
Valletta – Historic Capital – Island Bastion and City Monuments
Valletta or La Valleta is the capital of the island nation and Republic of Malta. According to the area and the number of inhabitants, the city is the smallest capital of the states of the European Union. Due to its cultural wealth, Valletta was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980 as an overall monument.
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Gżira & Manoel Island
Apart from the promenade, Manoel Island and Duck Village, the district Gżira is rather bare when it comes to street art and graffiti. You find really little, but a few spots are therefore super nice. There is definitely the JUNGLE JOY bar in the Triq L-Msida 2 to mention. The alternative and cosy shop always has good music and the local artist COOKER has painted the interior and part of the exterior facade with colourful jungle animals. At the Bubble Tea Shop GOG on the promenade of Gżira, COOKER has also conjured up a grandiose mural featuring a psycho rabbit. The exact address is 133 The Strand. Right around the corner in Strand Hotel in 115 there is also an interesting painting in the lobby.
>>> READ MORE
Msida Spray Area – Graff Plaza
If you walk through a small tunnel on the north side of the Msida Skate Park, you don’t get out directly on one of the other sides of the road. There is again an open space, from where the paths branch out again and lead into further tunnels. The entire walls of this small plaza are of course all painted and frequently there apear new fantastic ones. We have collected the current status in August 2020 here.
>>> READ MORE
Comino Island and the Blue Lagoon
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Valletta – Artworks besides History
Valletta is the capital of the island of Malta and is dotted with historic buildings, churches, statues and magnificent monuments. Valletta is, so to speak, the capital, but all the towns and villages on the island have not only grown together to a connected complex over the years, but have also been continually expanded through the centuries with each of the permanent new occupiers into a huge castle-church-island. Valletta is definitely imposing, architecturally beautiful and looks elegant. Which also means that there are hardly any graffiti or streetart to be found here in this quarter.
>>> READ MORE
Duck´s Village – Ornate Bird Refuge
Manoel Island in the bay of Gżira is not the highlight of the city, but worth a visit for a short walk. There is a small fort, a bathing spot popular with locals and otherwise closed ruins or construction sites. The excursion was really nothing special and in absolutely hot heat we also missed the bathing spot. For a short inbetween visit you can pass by the spot, but you should not necessarily do this at noon time because there´s no shade at all. But you will get a nice view of Valletta and Sliema over the water. In addition shortly after the bridge to the island, there is the lovingly and creatively assembled Duck’s Village, which now houses not only ducks, but many other bird species and even hares and guinea pigs. Just like the motto: All Animals in Harmony.
>>> READ MORE
Msida Spray Area – Center Pieces
Here on the website there is already a separate posting about the Msida Skate Park, but there is the focus on the elements for the skate sport and also on the painted artworks on it. In this gallery are collected the works of art on the walls and barriers around the skate park area. In some cases, there are long larger walls, especially where there are further underpasses. On the other hand, there are also only small, thin pieces of walls that stretch just around the area and separate the skate area from the highway clay.
>>> READ MORE
Gozo – Marvelous Ta’ Pinu Basilika
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Sliema and around Qui Si Sana
We really walked through most of the roads and along heaps of the alleys in the district Sliema. There are many beautiful buildings, old ones and new ones, sometimes even an interesting mix between both. But it was also kind of sad and depressing always to see this blank ochre or kind of color copy without trying something other. It is not a question about defacing an historical church or a medieval fortress with beautiful to ugly paintings. These buildings should for sure remain as they are. But it’s about the other countless meters of bare walls of eternal construction sites, depressing ugly bridge pillars or grey concrete block buildings that have been empty for ages. Almost nowhere you can see a bit of color out of the program. Always this monotonous ochre. Of course, we still found time by time some resistant and rebellious little gimmicks. Not great, but at least some presence. One recommendation is to walk down to the sea below the promenade at the few parts where it´s possible. There you will find some stuff left on the walls close by water.
>>> READ MORE
Msida Spray Area – Western Gateway
The access from the west side to the Msida Graffiti Zone also leads directly into the middle of the skatepark area. You reach the skating playground from the west, but quite close to the middle of the square by a corridor. The effect is really cool to walk through. If you have enough time, you should walk through all those entering tunnels and underpassing gateways. After a while walking around this small oasis in the middle of the highway stretches, you have the feeling of being in a colourful and wide-branched labyrinth while there is the continously highway noise of hundreds of cars in the background. City Life!
>>> READ MORE
Sacred Door Saints and Nicknamed Houses
Religion plays an important role in Maltese culture and tradition. There are over 360 chapels and churches throughout the archipelago, including the huge Carmelite Cathedral in Valetta and the great Ta’ Pinu Basilica in Gozo for example. The presence of faith is also evident in the streets and integrated onto the homes of the Maltese people in form of small plaques, figures and ornaments depicting saints and thus acting as the patron saint of the building. Many Maltese also give their houses their individual names, so you often find among these door saints also tiles or signs with the building names. Here is a small collection of these beautiful mostly made of ceramic works of art.
>>> READ MORE
Msida Spray Area – Southern Gateway
If you climb the small hill to Msida from the south of the promenade of Gżira, you will probably reach the area via this entrance. The tunnel and the walls around it are decorated with graffiti letters and characters. Here, the works also change regularly. When we were there in August 2020, Skeletor and Orko were waiting for us!
>>> READ MORE
Msida Spray Area – Northern Gateway
This part was almost the most difficult in the division of the individual areas of the Msida Skate Park Graffiti Zone. After you reach the Graffiti Plaza through a tunnel from the Skate Park to the north, you have again an open space and it branches again in two directions with tunnels to get finally to the neighbourhood streets. This highway around is not just a single lane, it is a real bunch of strings going around and above each other. So if you exit the Msida Skate Park to the northern tunnel, then you come not directly to the normal street. Here it is about the two last tunnels and another further walkway which emerge in direction of north-east and north-west.
>>> READ MORE
Delimara and St. Peter’s Pool
>>> READ MORE
Streetart around the Malta Island
Here are some artworks we found while travelling by bus around the island. Most of the other graffiti and streetart we could locate to some special spots, this here is more a collection from the ones we didn´t have much footage from the area. But they should be all around the southern-east part of Malta.
>>> READ MORE
Gozo – Victoria and the Cittadella
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Hoteleria – Constructions and Ruins
These hotel complexes are basically spread over the whole island, often they are even single buildings and almost all are empty or vegetate there during the years. In the actions of the MALTA STREETART FESTIVAL, colorful and extremely special works of art were created on these boring concrete blocks in a creative way. Unfortunately we don´t have photos from the artworks of the festivals, but some shots we took while passing by. If anyone wants to contribute photos to that area or about the events, you can send us photos to info@vagabundler.com. Photographer links will be added of course.
>>> READ MORE
Island Tour – Marsaxlokk, Mdina, Rabat, Manirata & Bugibba
>>> READ MORE
Streetart Gozo and Victoria
>>> READ MORE
Ras il-Bajjada an the Blue Grotto
>>> READ MORE
Sliema and the Triq-Ix Xatt Promenade
>>> READ MORE