A Finnish Artist’s Tribute to Macba and Global Street Art

Barcelona’s MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) has long been a gathering place for skaters, artists, and creatives from around the world. However, recent renovation plans threaten to change this, with the city moving to restrict skateboarding in the iconic square—an act that has sparked the #savemacba movement.

In response, Finnish graphic designer and street artist, Ale Lauraéus has created the Macba Life series, blending photography, street art, and skate culture into a visual narrative. His work documents the vibrant graffiti scenes of cities worldwide, from hidden gems to politically charged murals, and now, Barcelona’s evolving street culture. Here, he shares his journey, creative process, and the importance of preserving spaces like Macba.

Capturing Street Culture

I am a Finnish graphic designer and street artist.

At some point during family trips, my interest in taking traditional tourist photos expanded to capturing street art from various cities around the world. Initially, photographing street art was simply a hobby, but over time, it evolved into a project where I combine words, tags, splashes, and other elements into one visual composition and story. One of my hobbies is skateboarding and photographing it, and occasionally, I stop by Macba, the mecca of skateboarding, to capture the world’s best skaters in action.

Throughout this project, I have visited over 15-20 cities by chance.

In some places, finding street art is like looking for a needle in a haystack, like I sadly discovered in Mariehamn, Åland, whereas in other places, you can find global artists at every corner, little Banksys.

Through these collages, you can catch a glimpse of the city’s culture, and even political expressions, such as anti-Putin works or Fuck Trump declarations, which have appeared in nearly every city. Street art connects different cultures.

The most recent addition to my collection is the Macba Life series, with a few test pieces made, which ties into the #savemacba movement, aimed at preserving Macba as a haven for skaters and highlighting the importance of street culture.

Additionally, I have printed these works on silkscreen material, creating glass-like posters. We’ll see where this project goes, with the potential for an exhibition in the future and possibly refining a collaboration with a suitable partner.

This is also a great way to rack up steps—around 100,000–150,000 steps per city—while capturing the unique atmosphere of each place. Many tags stay in the minds of locals because of a specific spot. Many will remember the giant FREAK tag in Barcelona’s Macba.

Ale Lauraéus
www.studiolauraeus.fi
@studio_lauraeus