Street art in Gothenburg

WSSAT – West Sweden Street Art Trail

Gothenburg, neighbouring city Borås and surrounding municipalities in West Sweden is an area rich with unique street art murals. Several successful art projects and a large line-up of international and Swedish artists have made an impact on the area, hosting more than 250 curated pieces of public urban art.

WSSAT – West Sweden Street Art Trail – is a website, managed by urban art organisation Artscape, guiding you to all the different places with art pieces. Browse through the artworks on the website’s map, pick your favourites and go on your own personal street art safari. 

Artscape – public art that challenges the advertising boards

Street art has become a more common and accepted form of public art during the past few years in Gothenburg. This is primarily thanks to the street art festival Artscape which has decorated the city several times: in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Artscape want to inspire people, promote public art for everyone and challenge the dominance of advertising boards in our cities.

You can enjoy the results of the festival in most of the districts of Gothenburg, where facades, walls, rocks and mures have been painted. If you arrive by air, you’re welcomed by a large mural created by D*Face in 2021, as a part of Gothenburg’s and Borås’ 400th anniversary celebrations.

Reality-based portraits in Frölunda

In Frölunda, reality-based portraits on apartment houses are combined with more imaginative, abstract art. Most of the murals in this area were made during Artscape 2016, created by artists from Canada, Gothenburg and Malmö, among others.

Creative shapes in Majorna

Gothenburg based artist Ollio is now famous far beyond his native city. During Artscape 2016, a wall on the street Bruksgatan in Majorna was decorated with his playful imagery. In 2021, Majorna was blessed with another Artscape work when Russian artist MaryQ created a mural on the street Bangatan, close to Stigbergstorget.

Large and collaborative murals in Biskopsgården

In Biskopsgården you will find the fantastic mural Where Trees Don’t Grow by the artist Yash. He has also painted in other Swedish cities such as Ljusdal, Filipstad and Stockholm. The other murals in Biskopsgården are all on facades, and at the school Jättestensskolan, the artist SCEB co-created a mural with the students.

The most recent artwork can be seen at Sjumilahallen, where Max Sansing created his mural Sweet Freedom in September 2021.

Animals and abstract patterns in the central parts of Gothenburg

In the central parts of Gothenburg, street art is everywhere. Not only different kinds of murals, but also mosaic and sculptures. The art is present on walls, doors, facades and electrical cabinets.

The city’s largest ground painting, created by Ea ten Kate, Valeria Montti Colque and Ollio in 2019, you will find this outside the Museum of World Culture.

– We’ve wanted to make this space more inspiring and welcoming for a long time now, Karl Magnusson, Chief of staff at The Museum of World Culture, said at the time of the inauguration.

Adventurous and elegant in Hammarkullen

In Hammarkullen you will find some of the larger and more elegant murals. On apartment facades you can check out the colourful paintings made by, among others, Animalitoland, Eine and Sens. Here, there are eight grand murals to admire.

In the nearby area Hjällbo, the artist Ligisd wanted to involve all the residents in the artwork on the bridge Hjällbobron.

Colourful portrait in Bergsjön

Street artist, illustrator and game developer Elina Metso prefers to paint portraits, often of women or androgynous characters, and with lots of colour. At the square Rymdtorget in Bergsjön, you can check out her painting that was created during Artscape 2016.

Surrealistic animals and winding woods in Härlanda

In eastern Gothenburg, next to the former prison Härlanda fängelse, you’ll find two murals that were created during Artscape 2016. One is Henrietta Kozica’s mystical winding forest on Kulturhuset Kåken, and the other is Ana María Ortiz’ surrealistic animal hybrids next to the football field.

Chilly and dreamy in Partille

In Partille, next to Gothenburg, you’ll fins a freezing cold murial picturing the Nordic wild in its absolute essence. Aurora Borealis is an artwork made by Smug during Artscape Saga in 2019, and tells the story of a lone walker in a snow-covered landscape in the north.

Artscape Saga invited artists from all over the world to create murals in the area surrounding Gothenburg. The result? 23 free interpretations of classic folktales and myths from different parts of the world and 11 murals that were created together with the local communities, where everyone was invited to have a say in the creative process.

“23 km konst” – a 23-kilometre art trail

As a part of Gothenburg’s 400th anniversary celebrations, a 23-kilometre art trail from culture centre Blå stället in Angered to Röda sten in western Gothenburg, has been created. It all started with the international art competition Gothenburg Art 21 in 2017, where anyone could take part and the whole world was invited to vote for their favourites. The entries with the most votes were presented to a jury that selected ten “golden winners” and two “diamond winners”.

The golden winners’ entries were painted by participants in the education project Let’s colour Gothenburg; and the diamond winners, French Isaak Barreda and Gothenburg based Llefen Carrera, were invited to paint their own works. You can see Barreda’s The lost paradise on the street Nylösevägen in the neighbourhood Gamlestaden and Carrera’s Nature’s dust on the street Södra Larmgatan. In 2021, further works were added to the art trail, by the artists Amanda Karlsson, Anna Brag, Hanna Kastell Lundberg, Jonatan Tinnert, Onofrio Chillemi, Alexandra Nildén, Kim Demåne and Lukas Ryqueme.

Want to discover more street art?

On Streetartcities you will find most of the murals in Gothenburg, and other parts of the world as well. By putting up the street art on a map you can see exactly where they’re located, who made it and when.