When looking through the photos I took in Reykjavik, Iceland,
I noticed I have lots of pictures of murals.
I didn't realize at the time.......
.......that Reykjavik was a mural mecca......
Had I known, I'd have been much more
deliberate in photographing them.
I recall our tour guide telling us that
graffiti was a huge problem in Reykjavik.
To combat the issue,
street artists were commissioned
to paint murals on homes and businesses.
There was an understanding that they
There was an understanding that they
could not then be targeted by other graffiti artists.
Hence, the reason why there are so many murals in Reykjavik.
This mural, called "Ode To Mother" is one of the most famous, and cannot be missed if you are walking down Laugavegur, Reykjavik's main shopping street.
As Mother's Day was yesterday,
it seemed fitting to feature it as today's Monday Mural.
This beauty covers the store front of Mjuk,
an upscale clothing boutique selling mostly knitted products made from that famous Icelandic wool.
I can't swear to it, but this may be the store where I bought
a yoke and a toque (no joke).
"Ode To Mother" was commissioned in 2015
as part of the city's Wall Poetry Project.
Caratoes (aka Cara To) is the Hong Kong-based
Belgian street artist who created the striking piece.
In the photo below,
just over the top right side of the streetlamp,
you can make out "mother's" face. II wished I'd have gotten a better angle
of the side of the building,
for a clearer view .
For that, you'll have to click over to Caratoe's Instagram page.
Her inspiration came from the lyrics of the song
"Ode To A Mother" by a local Icelandic band called Ylja,
who "dedicated this song and poem to our lovely mothers
who we look up to in so many ways and for various reasons."
I'm not familiar with this group, but......
how can you not love a band that loves their moms???
Hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Wow, fantastic mural!! Great find, thanks for participating in Monday Murals.
ReplyDeleteThat is magnificent. Iceland is on our bucket list.
ReplyDeleteI am always impressed with Iceland, which is now governed by a woman. I will definitely be bask because I specifically want to see real photos of the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle.
ReplyDeleteYou found a most impressive and very LARGE mural. I love the monochromatic color, too.
I loved Iceland last summer and hope to go back again this coming summer. I only saw a few of the murals, though, because we didn't spend a lot of time in Reykjavik. When was your visit?
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
It's wonderful that you visited there and what a beautiful mural. My husband's cardiologist is from Iceland and I always enjoy seeing his most recent pictures in his office from visits to home. I love that there is a Wall Poetry project in the city! It's nice that it is respected and the murals are not defaced. I'm wondering if that is true here in Nashville that is also famous for its city murals? Hmm. I hope you had a beautiful Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Amy. My wife visited Iceland a couple of years ago with her daughter, and we have talked off and on about going there together. If airports around the world break free of the chaos that now seems to be the norm, that might just happen. Some of the seabird colonies there are nothing short of spectacular. Sadly, within a few years Iceland will no longer by "Ice-land."
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty blue mural on that house in Iceland Amy. I enjoyed reading this mural. I hope you had a nice Mother's Day and have a nice week Amy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful mural!!
ReplyDeleteWow how wonderful is this mural. What a wonderful trip and beautiful place to visit. Hope you had a good Mother's Day. xoxo Kris
ReplyDeleteAh, and the mural is in the lovely shades of Danish Blue, eventhough they have not been part of Denmark for quite awhile. I've taken the tour of Iceland, via google maps, and I'm amazed at the growth since I was there in 1963...! The food was so good, and they took us on a trolley ride while the plane was being de-iced and refueled. LOL..yes a prop plane, lol. Hugs, great photos!
ReplyDeleteWow! That really an an impressive mural.
ReplyDeleteI hope to visit Iceland someday.
Blue and white is popular in all sorts of circles! Yesterday I photographed a blue and white ceramic musical horn!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's beautiful, such detail and great colors. I love their creative solution to the problem, too. Win win for all!!
ReplyDeleteI need that mural on the side of my house! The colors match perfect. What would my neighbors in hicktown, USA say about that? It is so cool!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful street art
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely beautiful, Amy. I wish more cities would do that. xo Laura
ReplyDeleteAmazing art Amy, love the story behind the mural. I think more cities should do this. Thanks for sharing these fabulous art. How cool to visit Iceland.
ReplyDeleteThe song mentioned is called Óður til móður by Ylja and can be found here:
ReplyDeletehttps://open.spotify.com/track/4t9G6UeqbQlIvA16rhkyng?si=YTackgZVSGml9WmJGrhPNg&utm_source=copy-link
That incredible giant piece of art always makes me smile whenever I pass that building.
Wow. Absolutely stunning. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Now this part of the world I want to visit. And I find my eyes drawn to this sort of art as well.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long gap between visits / comments, the last few months have been strange to say the least. Cheers - Stewart M - Mlebourne
There are several European countries that could use street art as an answer to graffiti. Thanks for this lovely reminder of how it could look!
ReplyDelete