Street Artist at work in Aberdeen for NuArt Aberdeen

Hookedblog has been on tour over the UK Bank holiday weekend and we found ourselves on our very first visit to Scotland attending the NuArt Aberdeen Festival

NuArt Aberdeen, Scotland

Since 2001 NuArt has staged the highly successful NuArt street art festival in their home town of Stavanger and the Aberdeen edition is the first time the team has staged the festival outside of Norway.

Over the Easter weekend, 11 international and national artists were invited to transform some of the cities' neglected walls and spaces with their works from large-scale murals to smaller street-level interventions. One of the highlights for many was the large-scale mural by Portuguese artist and illustrator Diogo Machado aka Add Fuel.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Portuguese artist Add Fuel Mural

Painted on what was previously a series of large white panels used by the nearby pub to project football matches, Add Fuel transformed this prime spot off Belmont Street with a mural that perfectly complements the surrounding buildings. 

Add Fuel's work sees him reinterpreting and remixing the language of traditional tile pattern design, often referencing the azulejo ceramic tiles seen across Portugal.

According to Aberdeen resident and Mood of Collapse blogger Jon Reid, Add Fuel he says was "inspired by the tiled floors found in many of our older shop doorways and Victorian tenement flats. I actually emailed Diogo with a few images of the tiles in the hope that he would be able to create something unique to Aberdeen". 

Using the images supplied by Reid, Add Fuel's Aberdeen mural saw him swap his signature Portuguese blue colour palette and patterns for one more in line with those of the Granite City ensuring the piece has a unique Scottish feel to the work. Below is our selection of images we captured while in the town of Add Fuel working on his mural over a number of visits to the location over the weekend.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

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Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Large scale cut stencil squares created by Add Fuel and used to create the repeat tile patterns of the mural.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Portuguese Artist Add Fuel at work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Add Fuel putting the finishing touches to his NuArt Aberdeen street art mural which is visible from the iconic Union Street bridge, Aberdeen.

Add Fuel at work on his mural for NuArt Aberdeen Festival in Scotland.

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NuArt Aberdeen on Instagram — @nuartaberdeen
Add Fuel on Instagram — @addfuel

Related Street Art Stories

Diogo Machado's Azulejo Tiles in London.
Stavanger, Norway: A Street Art Hot Spot.
Norway's NuArt Festival And Why You Should Be Going.

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