The streets of edgy Oakland are always in a deep expressive flux. Yes, Oakland street art has some amazingly eye-catching murals. But look more closely as you trek its urban streets. It is also densely layered with some amazing graffiti, stickers, and stencils.
The volume of in-your-face expression can result in sensory overload to the point that many passersby may simply relegate the visceral spew to vandalism. But look more carefully at each individual work and the magnitude of creativity in Oakland becomes clear. Walking the streets of Oakland is like a treasure hunt, and you’ll be rewarded with greater insight into the city and its artists.
Sticker art on a lamp post or graff on a deserted building may just as likely have been created by one of the artists whose work you just admired as a full scale mural or a fine art piece in a local gallery. You can’t pigeonhole Oakland street art. And that’s what makes it so exciting. It’s raw, organic, creative, and political.
This photo essay shows Oakland’s ever-changing streets that I’ve documented over the last several years. Some pieces are new and some don’t exist anymore. That is the ephemeral nature of street art. I never get tired of traversing the downtown streets because there is always something new and inspiring.
These images largely come from three swaths of downtown Oakland: the center around Uptown and City Center, Chinatown, and North Uptown/Kono. Grab your camera and take an urban hike across downtown, using my Oakland map below to take a break at some of my fave bars and restaurants.
This is just a small sampling to whet your appetite and is by no means exhaustive of Oakland street art and artists. It was really difficult to narrow down to just some of the compelling works. If you’d like to delve deeper into the current Oakland street art scene, here are suggestions of some good resources and who to follow on Instagram.
Oakland Wiki - Mural Map
Athen B. Gallery - Former gallery site still live with background on its curated murals around town
Dragon School - Dr. Dragon manages to sponsor murals in Chinatown to build community and control graffiti, working with schools and local artists. dragonschool99
Sorell Raini-Tsui - ABG Projects - Former partner at Athen B. Gallery responsible for many Oakland murals is continuing to curate murals in the East Bay.
