Oslo Street Art Festival stems from a desire to increase people's sense of belonging, with a focus on social sustainability. We work with particular emphasis on UN sustainability goals 11: to create sustainable cities and communities, and 17: cooperation to achieve the goals.

Street art is social sustainability in practice

Socially sustainable societies are characterized by trust, security, belonging and access to work, education and a good local environment. As a fundamental sustainable principle for Oslo Street Art Festival, local anchoring and cooperation are therefore emphasized in the planning and implementation of the event. This strengthens the community of neighbors; stimulates local business; and is resource-wise in terms of short distances for transport.

In addition to the art that is created, a varied audience program is organized with dissemination activities which aim to contextualise street art and graffiti within the wider fields of visual art, aesthetics, architecture, urbanism, sociology, anthropology, citizenship and education. The aim is to inspire a shared sense of ownership and belonging in our common spaces.

Investing in the local art community

The graffiti and street art movement in Oslo is a rich and complex field, and we aim to reflect this diversity, as well as increase the experience of belonging among underrepresented groups. We include artists who work within different styles, formats and materials, and each year we invite at least one artist under the age of 25 to paint their first mural.

Oslo Street Art Festival thus creates opportunities for both young talents and self-taught artists to work side-by-side with more established or formally trained artists; at the same time the valuable artistic diversity in Oslo is made visible. This means that we invest in and strengthen the local artistic community while avoiding resource-intensive international flights in connection with the festival.

Artistic content and program partners

Sustainable development is characterized by the fact that it meets today's needs without destroying the opportunity for future generations to meet theirs. 

In 2023, we established a creative partnership with the Rainforest Foundation to draw attention to the importance of preserving the world's rainforests. The rainforest slows down man-made climate change and, together with a mural created by artist Øivin Horvei, we will convey up-to-date and relevant knowledge about the rainforest to our audience.

Among our dissemination activities, in addition to workshops with a focus on material reuse, we also find workshops with a particular focus on the protection of the world's rainforests. Some of the largest collections of prehistoric art can be found on rock walls in the Amazon rainforest, created more than 12,500 years ago. In collaboration with Klimahuset/Natural History Museum, in 2023 we organized workshops for children and young people inspired by this cultural heritage.

Sustainability measures within the production

We use photocatalytic paint where possible in the production of works of art, supplied by our paint partner STO. Photocatalytic paint breaks down harmful substances in the air. Where possible, we also use electric lifts from our partner Naboen, as opposed to diesel-powered, in the production of larger works of art (depends on access to charging).

We use electric transport bicycles rather than diesel-powered cars for errands related to production. The use of electric bicycles makes it possible for non-drivers to contribute to the festival with voluntary work. Catering is vegan, and is provided by Vespa & Humla.