Bulgaria: Sofia – In the night between 17 and 18 June 2011, anonymous street artists painted the monument of the Soviet Army in Sofia. The Soviet soldiers depicted in the monument for a few days turned into Ronald McDonald, Santa Claus, Superman, and others. It was a controversial act and many supported the monument's remaining painted and many opposed it. In the early morning of 21 June 2011, the monument was cleaned.
Finland: Helsinki – The street art scene in Finland had its growth spurt from the 1980s onwards, until in 1998 the city of Helsinki began a ten-year zero tolerance policy which made all forms of street art illegal, punishable with high fines, and enforced through private security contractors. The policy ended in 2008, after which legal walls and art collectives have been established.
France: Paris is a very active street art scene with artists such as Space Invader, Zevs, Mosko et Associés, Mesnager, Zoo Project.It started with the Lettrism and then with a Situationist slogan painted on a wall in Paris. The nouveau realist, includingJacques Villeglé, Yves Klein and Arman interact with public space but stay, like Pop Art in a classic studio/gallery relation. On 1962, The Rideau de Fer (Iron Curtain) By Christo and Jeanne-Claude is an example of early uncommissioned art. The Same year sees the first can spray work by pioneer Gérard Zlotykamien. After the "chienlit" (expression coined by General De Gaulle to qualify the May 1968 mini-revolution, Paris, like New-York has major city works but no Factory as important as Warhol's. In the 1970s, the work of Daniel Buren appeared in the Paris subway. Blek le Rat and the Figuration Libre (including Claude Closky and Pierre Huyghe) became active in the 1980s.
Germany, Berlin: Street art on the Berlin Wall was famous during the time the city was divided; since reunification Berlin has become of Europe's street art strongholds. Bizarre post-communist locations, cheap rents and ramshackle buildings gave rise to a vibrant street art scene. Hotspots include Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain.
Greece: Athens – The street art scene in Greece has been active since the late 1980s but had a tremendous boost in Athens right before the beginning of the financial crisis with a number of artists raising voices of resistance, making social commentaries and allegorical works in the historical center and the Exarhia district. On 14 October 2011, the New York Times published an extensive story about the crisis in relation to art and especially street art.Some of the well known artists are Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Woozy and more related to artivism Absent and Bleeps.gr.
Italy: The country has been very active in street art since the end of the 1990s; some of the most famous street artists include BLU,108, and Sten Lex.
Netherlands: Amsterdam's street art hot spots include the Flevopark on the east side, as well as the Red-light District. Artist that have gained recognition include Niels Shoe Meulman, Ottograph, Mickey, DHM, X Streets Collective, [19] Bustart, Mojofoto, Mark Chalmers and collective CFYE. The city is home to the Amsterdam Street Art group which promotes street art in the city and aims to bring it to the same level as that of London, Paris, and Barcelona.
Norway: Bergen is looked upon as the street art capital of Norway. The famous artist Banksy visited the city in 2000and inspired many to start with street art. The street artist Dolk also came from Bergen. His art can be seen in several places in the city; in 2009 the city council choose to preserve Dolk's work "Spray" with protective glass. In 2011, the Bergen council launched a plan of action for street art in Bergen from 2011–2015 to ensure that "Bergen will lead the fashion for street art as an expression both in Norway and Scandinavia. JOHN XC, Aram, Argus, Snurre, and La Staa are other street artists who have used Bergen as their base. Stavanger is host to the annual Nuart Festival, one of Europe's leading events dedicated to promoting street art. Oslo, by contrast, has a zero tolerance policy against graffiti and street art; nonetheless, a couple of artists, including DOT DOT DOT and Ikkeno, have created work there.
Poland: In September 2011 in Łódź, under the patronage of Mayor Hanna Zdanowska, a permanent city exhibition was financed called Urban Forms Gallery. The exhibition included work from some of Poland's elite street artists as well as some more globally known artists. Since the 1990s street art has been prevalent in Poland, which is most likely related to the collapse of communism in 1989. Street art is largely, though not exclusively, inspired by the hip-hop music scene. It is mostly accepted by the public, with the authorities occasionally giving licence to artists to decorate public spots. Despite this, public property is still illegally targeted in some cases. Warsaw and Gdansk are among some of the other Polish cities with a vibrant street art culture.
Russia:
See also: Graffiti in RussiaIn 2010 the New York Times reported that Moscow was increasingly becoming a stage for local and international graffiti artists. The Street Kit Gallery, opened in 2008 is dedicated to street art organizes nomadic events in galleries, pop-up spaces and streets all over Moscow. The 2009 Moscow International Biennale for Young Art included a section for street art. Active artists include Make, RUS, and Kiev-based Interesni Kazki (also active in Miami and Los Angeles). [27] In February 2012, the BBC did a story on Moscow street artist Pavel 183.[28]
Spain: Major Spanish coastal cities such as Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza have a vibrant street art scene.
UK:
Bristol is part of a street art scene, due in part to the success of Banksy.
London has become one of the most pro-graffiti cities in the world. Although officially condemned and heavily enforced, street art has a huge following and in many ways is embraced by the public, for example, Stik's stick figures