From the very start, one of the main aims with Yardworks was to create a community. A way of artists rooted in graffiti and street art, from world-renowned international names to emerging local talent finding their feet, from all backgrounds and locations, to be able to come together.
Over six years, this community has flourished, continuing to grow every day. It’s drawn in other arts practices that find their roots in street art and urban intervention. And, importantly, it’s created invaluable opportunities for artists based in Scotland, and particularly on a hyper-local level across Glasgow and the communities surrounding the SWG3 complex.
In connecting and working with other artists, especially through the festival, young artists gain a chance to be inspired, challenge themselves to try new things, and believe in the power of their skills, talent and perseverance.
As well as the international artists coming to showcase their work at the festival, in the UK we’ve built close connections with artists who are pioneers in the UK graffiti and street art scenes, from locations including Bristol, London, Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, Oxfordshire and Manchester.
Chelsea Frew is an artist painting her signature colourful and energetic work around Glasgow and the UK. Her most recent project was a collaboration with Cobolt Collective injecting the streets of Glasgow with hope, colour and positivity during the Covid crisis. Pictured is Wham, a mural that abstracted the mundane day-to-day during lockdown closures.
"Spraycan art and beyond". Venetian graffiti artist Peeta is a giant in the global street arts scene, having taken part in festivals and art shows all over the world, from Australia’s Wonderwalls Festival to Mural Goes Festival in The Netherlands. In 2021, after winning a worldwide competition run by University of Glasgow and Yardworks, Peeta installed his first Scottish solo commission — an incredible large-scale mural on the university campus.
Born in Australia, we can safely say we've claimed Smug for our own now, having lived in Scotland for nearly two decades, and the city's all the better for it. Renowned for his photo-realist graffiti art, using nothing but spray cans he creates highly technical work that remains playful and thought-provoking.
Mark is a muralist and tattoo artist based in Glasgow. In 2020 he completed his first large-scale mural in Glasgow, which you can see just off London Road.