Manchester is the North’s street art capital

Web Team | 23rd August 2019

Walking around Manchester is a treat for any street art fan, with murals almost everywhere you turn. The number one hotspot is the Northern Quarter – packed with historic buildings, quirky bars and edgy artwork.

 

Research has revealed that Manchester is the street art capital of the North, with over 27,000 dedicated posts on Instagram, batting off stiff competition from fellow street art juggernauts Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow.

 

 

Themes of Manchester art

 

@paulando

 

Looking at the top ten street art pieces in Manchester, some key themes are apparent. People are the most popular subject, with five of the top ten pieces in the city featuring faces. Whilst most people featured are famous, one is not. Silence is Golden by lowdown may leave you wondering where you’ve seen this man before, but spoiler alert: you haven’t. Lowdown’s work focuses on modern religious figures, so this handsome chap in the painting isn’t real.

 

@urbanartistry.co.uk

 

Pop culture is the second most prominent theme. In the top ten alone, we have TV in the form of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, and music with Liam Gallagher and Amy Winehouse. The third most popular theme is animals – with everything from birds to tigers immortalised in street art.

 

Artists

 

@dogmeister

 

Manchester’s top street artists are Jim Vision and Akse. Jim Vision focuses on murals on ‘big walls’, and this is reflected by his piece ‘The Tyger’ in first place. Akse centres his work around photorealism portraits, featuring famous faces from film and TV – including Ayra Stark and Eleven in Manchester. Jim Vision is based in London, and Akse is French, but has lived in Manchester since the 90s.

 

@mtr_shots

 

On why his work is so well-loved on social media Akse explains: I think it’s the subjects I paint which is the main reason why people love to take pictures of my artwork; the quality of my portraits (likeness and fine details) probably contribute to their Instagrammability.”

 

Transport company TransPennine Express website analysed the number of conversations online about the artists.