Street art is gradually coming to be accepted as a legitimate and wonderful art form by more and more people, but that doesn't mean that street artists can rest on their laurels – they continue exploring with new ways to exploit public surfaces and cover them in beautiful art. This post is all about street artists and regular people who have decorated something that most of us probably wouldn't think of decorating – public outdoor steps.
Much like the hidden street art of Zebrating, most of these pieces can only truly be appreciated when viewed from a certain vantage point. They may seem like random splashes of paint to someone actually climbing those steps, but someone looking at them from below will see the artist's full vision. If they're long enough, someone ascending the steps will see the image and see how it stretches and twists as they approach it. Of course, not all of them have to form images – some are simply colorful decorations that make the neighbourhood a more uplifting place.
Quite a few of these pieces were born out of community efforts, which also shows a growing worldwide acceptance of street art. When the Rainbow steps in Turkey were first painted over by the local government, nearby communities responded by painting their own steps as well in solidarity. The mosaic steps in San Francisco were created by more than 300 local people under the careful guidance of a couple of artists.
Are there any similar steps in your city that are worth sharing? If not, hopefully these images will inspire you to get your community together and paint your steps together!
1. 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, San Francisco
Image credits: yellofish.tumblr.com
Image credits: Jordan Wong
2. Valparaíso, Chile
Image credits: Jean-BaptisteYunis
3. Philadelphia Museum of Art
4. Valparaíso, Chile
Image credits: oueduabroad.wordpress.com
5. Seoul, South Korea
Image credits: Kevin Lowry
6. Wuppertal, Germany
7. Sicily, Italy
Image credits: Andrea Annaloro
8. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Image credits: jr-art.net
9. Stairs of Peace in Syria
Image credits: Jood Voluntary Team
10. Beirut, Lebanon
Image credits: Jubran E. Elias
11. Stairs to the musical theater in Seoul, South Korea
Image credits: Kimhwan SEOULIST
12. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Image credits: justin-travels.com
13. Angers, France
Image credits: Mademoiselle Maurice
14. Istanbul, Turkey
15. Morlaix, France
16. Beirut, Lebanon
