Eurodesk held a workshop in creating wall art for young people during the first weekend in April, in celebration of the European Youth Week. The purpose of the workshop was to give young people the opportunity to express their voices through art.
During the course, Karen Ýr, a mural artist and former volunteer for the European Solidarity Corps, shared her experience and taught the participants the techniques she uses to create this type of artwork. The course was financed by Eurodesk and free of charge for the participants. Molinn Ungmennahús in Kópavogur offered their premises for the workshop and they deserve a lot of thanks, as this would not have been possible without their contribution.
The participants were guided in concept work, sketching, color selection and all kinds of painting techniques that are good to know for painting large wall art pieces. There were eight of them and they used art to express their ideas.
The works were very diverse, but the themes that emerged in the young people's art included mental health, identity, war and peace, environmental and animal protection. The course was therefore a great opportunity for these young and aspiring artists to have the opportunity to make their opinions heard - and seen - through the art form. The completed artwork was on display during the harvest festival for European Cooperation in Iceland, held on 8th May on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the European Economic Area agreement.
Magdalena Arnbjörnsdóttir: Untitled
The empty, glaring eyes of the fish in the picture refer to the hopelessness that the artist has experienced while doing her biology degree at university, where the focus now is on saving what little can be saved of the biodiversity of the planet, suffering from unsustainable human actions.
Robin Lübbers: Dumpster Duck
What if seagulls were caught for stealing people's food? - a (not so serious) thought experiment
Mariia Tambovtseva @kiselmanmari: Light
A new young generation grows like a flower and, like a ray of light in a dark realm, illuminates this world, giving it hope.
Joanna Kraciuk: Untitled
With this work, the artist wanted to show that what people consider to be their main weaknesses often turn out to be their main strengths in the end. The destructive voices can become constructive, supportive voices with the right self-care.
Hlín Hrannarsdóttir @hlin_illustrations: Tiger
The artist works in visual media and working on this mural in Molinn brought her back to her teenage years, when she primarily drew and painted big cats. Drawing inspiration from her love of tattoos she wanted to play around with the mix of tattoo art, murals and illustrations.
Ástrós Ýr: Untitled
The image features an ostrich burying its head in the sand while bombs made of soda bottles fall from the sky. In the foreground there is a television with a song competition, symbolising how easy it is for the public to look away from atrocities being committed in real time.
Sunneva Snorradóttir: Untitled
The artist designs and draws pictures for others. Being able to make this clown cat was symbolic of allowing yourself to do exactly what brings most joy at the moment, and not something someone else dictated.
Estelle Pollaert @estellillu: Coming of light
The artist wants to bring joy and hope to people, proving that there is still space to dream and be creative in a world that seems to be falling apart. The flowers represent our voices for peace and harmony in Europe and in the world.
