Tiger Chinatown Oakland Street Art Chinatown Dragon School

In-Your-Face Oakland Street Art

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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.

Artist Mr Black downtown Oakland Street Art graffiti rain
@artistmrblack
Chalkupy Jail All Killer Cops City Center Oakland Street Art
Chalkupy in front of City Hall
Deadeyes graffiti Oakland Street Art
@deadeyes_ptv

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. 

Oakland Street Art Ernnest Doty Lost and Found
@ernestdoty and- Facade of Lost & Found Beer Hall on First Fridays

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.

Reggie Warlock Love Monstors Oakland Street Art Uptown
@reggiewarlock - Love Monsters
lil dodo downtown Oakland Street Art
@lil_oddo
Omael Casa sticker art downtown Oakland Street Art
@omaelmacasa

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.

Irot Indian Chief native american mural downtown Oakland Street Art
@irotism

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.

Oakland Street Art Elephane Illuminaries Elephant Uptown
@illuminaries - Uptown
Oakland Street Art Chinatown Dragon School
@dragonschool99 - Chinatown
Dragon School Oakland Street Art Chinatown Dragon School
@dragonschool99 - Chinatown
Gats mural Downtown Oakland Street Art Telegraph Beer gatsptv
@gatsptv at Telegraph Beer Garden
Kal Mural Marriott downtown Oakland Street Art
@_the_kal on Marriott Facade
123456789bang classical mural downtown Oakland Street Art
@123456789bang
Oakland Street Art Love Oakland Group Binty Bint, Sarah Thock Morton, McKido, BJae143, Sufficient Nature
Love Oakland Group Mural - @bintybint, @sarahthockmorton, @bjae143, @sufficientnature
Ernest Doty Utility Box Art mural downtown Oakland Street Art
@ernestdoty
Trump Vote Wheat Paste-up Oakland Street Art Uptown
Unknown Artist - Paste-up
Oakland Street Art Fly Slap debug__
@debug__ Pervasive Fly Slap with @reggiewarlock in Background
Cannon Dill Mural Make Westing Oakland Street Art Uptown
@cannondill behind Make Westing
Zio Ziegler UN Mural Cathedral Building Uptown Oakland Street Art
@zioziegler - UN Anniversary Mural on Cathedral Building
graffiti sticker art downtown Oakland Street Art church
Unknown Artist - Paste-up
Psyke graffiti Oakland Street Art
Psyke
Secret Lock graffiti Irot Zombie downtown Oakland Street Art
Secret Lock - Prolific around Oakland
Oakland Street Art Chinatown Dragon School
@dragonschool99 - Chinatown
Nychos dinosaur mural Flax downtown Oakland Street Art
@nychos - Behind Flax Art Store
New Parkway Mural Oakland Street Art
Graffiti Facade of New Parkway Movie Theater
Hella Vegan Classic Cars West patio murals Oakland Street Art
Classic Cars West patio with Hella Vegan cafe covered with murals including three massive collab murals from Emma Webster; David Polka, Ernest Doty, Thomas Christopher Haag
Bonehead Reggier Warlock Love Monster graffiti downtown Oakland Street Art
Rainy day at ever-changing construction site - here includes @reggiewarlock and @originalbonehead
The Layover Keith Sklar Jewish mural Oakland Street Art
Layover Bar with Keith Sklar Jewish tribute mural in background, which is now largely covered with graffiti
Jet Martinez - @jetmar1 - Mural I Magnin Psyke Graffiti Oakland Street Art
@jetmartinez painting on former I. Magnin building with Psyke graffiti character in foreground
Original Bonehead Graffiti Art Oakland Street Art
@originalbonehead
Giant Burger Graffiti Oakland Street Art Fish
Changing Graffiti on Giant Burger
Original Bonehead graffiti graffiti art mural Oakland Street Art
@originalbonehead
Graffiti Alley near Chinese Temple Oakland Street Art
Dense and changing alley art near Chinese Temple
Murals Graffiti Oakland Street Art Stinkfish @stinkfish
Stinkfish - @stinkfishstink
Math Oner Oakland Street Art
@math_never - Recurring Portraiture around Town
Free Pussy Riot Mural Chris Granillo, Irot, Girl Mobb Oakland Street Art
Free Pussy Riot mural by @chrisgranilloart, @irotism, @girlmobb
Irot Bird graffiti downtown Oakland Street Art
Irot's iconic bird is known to pop up around the city - this one was buffed quickly - @irotism
Wheat Past Invest in Public Housing Oakland Street Art
Unknown Artist
Jade Tribute Mural Oakland Street Art
Jade tribute Mural on Hutch Restaurant
Zio Ziegler on Howden Building Oakland Street Art
@zioziegler - Howden Building
Dragon School Tupac Oakland Mural Street Art Graffiti
@bruno_pes and #lukedragon for @dragonschool99 - Chinatown

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

#oaklandstreetart

 

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.

Eggshell001

Pratidwandi

Rewolf1945

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