Street art in Glasgow

Mitchell Street‘s Taxi Balloons by Rogue-one

Before visiting Glasgow for the first time, I had a somewhat gloomy and rundown image of the city in my head, yet this preconceived idea was shattered when I arrived at the bustling city on a sunny day.

I was lucky with the weather, so I was able to walk around the city on foot and enjoyed the sights and architecture that the city has to offer. And I was very pleasantly surprised by the wonderful street art that I encountered in different parts of the city, these uplifting and playful works undoubtedly contribute to enhancing the streets of the city.

A majority of the prodigious wall murals in the city were commissioned by the City Council from 2008 onwards. Many renowned local artists took part in the project including Smug and Rogue One. If you are interesting to learn more or follow the official street art trail, you can download the map via this link and visit the Discover Glasgow website.

Top left: Dancing puppets by Rogue One (John Street); Top right: Girl with Magnifying Glass by Smug (Mitchell Street); Bottom left: Emoticon Hamlet by Peter Drew; Bottom right: Giant panda by Klingarton (Mitchell Lane)

The most impressive murals in my opinion are the series of pieces promoting the 2014 Commonwealth Games at the Ingram Street car park. Created in 2013 by Glasgow based Australia street artist Sam Bates a.k.a. Smug, the pieces depict the four seasons in a picturesque Scottish country scene, featuring an array of animals, including his infamous squirrel. The squirrel can also be spotted under the Kelvinbridge subway station (see below).

Ingram Street car park by Smug

Nearby at the Strathclyde University (on the corner of George Street/North Portland Street), a series of murals named ‘The Wonderwall’ were created by several artists including Art Pistol, Rogue One and Ejek.