Internationally acclaimed artists SNIK, who took part in Nuart Stavanger, are looking forward to creating a “twin” mural in Aberdeen.
Contemporary street artists SNIK are known for creating multi-layered stencils with ethereal portraiture from a dual male/female perspective.
The duo previously worked on one of the city’s most-loved Nuart murals, Hold Fast Hope, which faces out to the harbour from a wall on Virginia Street.
Now, Nik Ellis and Laura Perrett are excited to be back for this year’s installment and to create a twin mural to the one already gracing the streets of Stavanger.
Nik said: “We cannot wait to come up. We painted in Aberdeen in 2018 for the first time and we also painted at the sister event in Stavanger in Norway.
“Especially after the year we’ve all had, it’s great to be back on the road.
“This mural is following a body of work that we’re finishing up now. We did a sister piece to it in Stavanger for Nuart so it felt really fitting that we do this piece here in Aberdeen, so there’s one piece in each city and it’s twinned.”
SNIK want to reconnect to nature
Creating twin murals also works perfectly for Nuart 2021’s theme which is “reconnect”.
Nik added: “The piece is very much about connecting to nature and the whole idea of letting nature overgrow things.”
The duo thinks Aberdeen is a great city to paint in.
“It’s got beautiful architecture, people are friendly and it seems they really enjoy the artworks,” said Nik, who said the pair plan to be here next month.
Importance of projects like Nuart
Nik thinks projects like Nuart are so popular with locals and visitors alike because they are “very engaging with the local community”.
He added: “Nuart organisers really make a point of speaking to the people in the local area and check the work fits with the surroundings.
“Nuart is a very grassroot event – it has a lot of history and it’s done with a lot of care.”
Surrounded by art
In addition to creating street art, Nik is also an avid art collector.
He said: “I like to be surrounded by art. It’s pretty much an obsession for me at this point in my life.
“I’d rather wake up in a house where the walls are covered in art than bare walls – which is what I think I like about street art as well.
“Obviously, architecture can be beautiful, but it’s also great to see a mish-mash of colour and stuff on walls that just engages people.”
Catch up on Nuart news…
WATCH: Artist KMG on her first Nuart mural and hopes to ‘reconnect’ Aberdeen
Nuart: Local artists invited to contribute to world’s largest paste-up wall
