When we are taking about street art or urban art, it’s typically in connection with the typical forms like graffiti or the large murals. There’s probably good reason for that, too, if we’re looking at the long history of graffiti or the imposing dimensions of murals. Düsseldorf also has quite a lot to offer of both. A walk far from the Königsallee in virtually any part of the city is all it takes to find them. Well, maybe not in Oberkassel. Any other part, however, has them, be it Bilk, Flingern, or Pempelfort. Street art has more to offer than just brushes and spray cans, though.
I found my great love for the little bits of street art in the USA, and more specifically: in Brooklyn. People there put stickers on traffic lights, streetlamps, signposts, terminal boxes, and about anywhere else. You can also find prominent stickers such as “Andre the Giant has a Posse” (later OBEY Giant) by Shepard Fairey (of which there are also a few in Düsseldorf) as well as other current subjects artists want to present to us this way. There are even some stickerart themed guided tours.
Düsseldorf has some impressive sticker artists, too. All you need to do is walk through the city with your eyes open. You will certainly find food for thought, a smile or two, and inspiration. I have already found some treasures in our city that I do, of course, want to share with you:
You are an artist (cover picture)
Make Duisburg great again
Club door in the old town
They who remove stickers have lost control over their life
You only live once
More Love less Geld
Tinder instead of children
Once you start looking at stickers while waiting at traffic lights, you’ll have a hard time stopping yourself from doing so again. Stickers can not only be found in public places, but also in bar toilets, climbing gyms, or on club doors. I have been known to spend more time outside those places to let the creativity work on me, just like someone else may stand pondering paintings in museums and wonder what they were meant to express. Stickers without hashtags or websites fascinate me the most. I see them as all content no ego art and that’s what the world needs much more of.
Of course (unfortunately) advertising has also entered this form of art. Many stickers found are cheap advertising media for mostly small enterprises. While I doubt that these measures bring any great success, they, too, can be creative and attractive in theory.
One more note. Putting stickers on to public or private property usually does constitute property damage. Therefore, always ask the owners if you’re allowed to put them up before doing so if you are a budding sticker artist.
