May 15, 2023 – Artists from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Greece, and Hungary are coming to Osijek for an urban culture festival and the Oscans graffiti jam! The competition will take place on Saturday, May 20, at Ante Starčević Square, and the day will be filled with lots of fun.
During the all-day program in the central square, as writes SiB, graffiti drawing workshops for children and young people and break dance workshops are coming. It’s all, in a way, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop culture. There will also be an exhibition of stickers and a few different activation zones where all visitors can enjoy coffee or beer with the good sounds of DJ Armand, DJ Marushka, and DJ Mef.
Mario Krešo, representing the Sugar Factory as a co-organizer, having been there since the very beginning, emphasized that the event is significant for the development of urban culture, cultural industries, and Osijek’s urban scene.
“I am pleased that we are doing something like this in our city for the third year in a row, and it is great that this kind of event has grown and reached this top level.”
The central part of the program is the 2vs2 graffiti battle competition. Twenty artists will draw graffiti in pairs following a specific theme, while three judges will closely monitor and evaluate their works. The three best teams will be awarded valuable prizes by the organizers. The first place will win a cash prize of 800 euros, the second place will win a prize of 400 euros, and the third place will win 200 euros. In addition, LELO Hex is providing rich rewards for the winners, while the artist Željka Fuderer Levak, together with her students from the School of Applied Art and Design, designed and made the sculptures that will be presented to the artists.
Željka emphasizes that such events are necessary for the city of Osijek and for young people to experience the scene of urban culture in its true sense.
“Having such artists in Osijek is a sign that we are headed in the right direction when it comes to the graffiti scene. The organizers did their best to fit all segments of urban culture into one story in the best possible way, from graffiti to breakdance, to hip hop music and workshops.”
Dalibor Smiljanić, a long-time artist and one of the judges, emphasizes that artists come from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Greece, and Hungary, and that in the last 15 years, such strong names from the graffiti scene have not been found in the same place. Visitors can expect a real urban, artistic spectacle.
In cooperation with the transport company GPP, the artists will use their trams, buses, and vans as a canvas for their artwork.
With the support of the city of Osijek, that of the Tourist Board of the city of Osijek, and partner and co-organizer Sugar Factory, Oscans is bringing a real urban spectacle to Osijek’s main square.
The organizers emphasize that the time has passed when graffiti was seen as vandalism and that today they are an essential thing in society, both for the expression of top artists and conveying a message, as well as for urban interventions in space.
Event schedule:
10:00 -13:00 graffiti workshops
13:30 Gathering of artists
14:00 Distribution of sprays and assignment of the theme
15:00 – 19:00 2vs2 graffiti battle
19:30 Announcement of the winner
20:00 After party in the courtyard of American bar Dollar
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