Reykjavik Street Art

(Note: Reblogged almost entirely from my earlier blog, beyondpaisley.net. So, yeah, it's reblogged with my permission, as it's mine. :) )I was walking down a street in downtown Reykjavik when I caught a glimpse of explosive color on the walls of a courtyard behind a bar. I couldn’t stop myself. I walked in and found myself in a riot of art and color.The entire courtyard. Covered in art. Actually, much of the city is covered in art. It's unreal.Surprise! We made a friend who had stepped out for a cigarette. He said he was also an artist, but not the one responsible for the work he's sitting near. Meanwhile, out on the street...     Favorite moment: walking past another couple who did not get this batch of paintings. "Uhhhhh," she shuddered, "Who would paint such a terrible thing?" I think she was referring to the purple guy, though I could make an argument for it being about the bug.  This one gets political.Here’s how the Icelandic and German sections of this statement roughly translate (and I confess, I presume my readership is fluent in English, so for the red part you’re on your own).Part 1 (in green, in Icelandic): Gender equality has not been achieved. Multiple invisible thresholds still exist in the traditionally male-dominated power system.Part 2 (in blue, in German): The Convention* entered into force in 1981 and was an important step in the recognition of women’s rights as human rights.*The Convention refers to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and brought into force in 1981, when the 20th UN member country ratified it.Also, I realize this is probably, more technically, graffiti. No pictures, just words. But I like what it has to say, so it’s going up.As for this tasty street art nugget...discuss.Or this.Meanwhile, around the corner of the same building...From what I can tell, the quote below the painting translates to, “I was worst to those I loved the most.” So.Full disclosure: This was very near my hotel room, and is probably the first piece of street art I saw, and the one I had to make sure I got a photo of before we left. It's hard not to love a piece of street art that tells me not to panic. Thanks, reassuring city artists! I'll go straight down that alley to an inner courtyard.I knew it would be fine.This was on the opposing wall of the same courtyard as the Don't Panic art, and I think it's my favorite piece. I never would have seen it from the street. Hooray for following the art where it takes you!So. Here's street art. You can find it all over the place--use this as a starter guide or, when you get to Reykjavik, just go out for a walk.