New York at the Isar - Street Art in Munich

The meeting point is at 11 a.m. on Saturdays, right next to the surfer wave at Haus der Kunst (House of art), in front of the "Fräulein Grüneis" kiosk. Stephanie Utz, co-founder and director of the MUCA, personally accompanies the first bike tour after the coronavirus lockdown. "I'm so happy to be getting going again," she greets the group. Normally up to 15 people can join us, but today there are nine of us - even four guests from Stuttgart have travelled here especially for the tour.

In a convoy, we head towards the Friedensengel. With the high number of cyclists in Munich, it's not easy to navigate as a group. Masks on and down into the underground: since 2011, the pedestrian underpass at the Luitpold Bridge has been an urban art gallery. Cyclists zoom through, joggers, dogs, and walkers pass by, while Stephanie explains that one of the first "(W)Halls of Fame" emerged here: "Curated and legal, artists apply and design a section. Most pieces stay for two years, then someone else gets a chance. The waiting list is quite long...." Lady Aiko's very first work, by an artist from New York, is no longer there. But instead, you can see a sunken Trabant by Mr. Woodland, flamenco dancers, exotic birds, and a city shark.

"A wall is always a wall," says Stephanie, "but that's what makes it so exciting – each one is different. Some are smooth, rough, or full of holes; some absorb paint like a sponge." Thirty liters of paint and 300 spray cans were transformed into art in the tunnel beneath the Friedensengel, with national and international graffiti artists invited: Flin and Tonik74 from Munich, Daim from Hamburg, Kid Acne and Dotmaster from England, Light and Markus from Russia, Stuko from Japan, and Kelp from Chile.

We get back in the saddle. After heavy thunderstorms the night before, the Isar is filled to the brim. The brown water foams white at the weirs. The riverside meadows are already teeming with sunbathers, walkers, party-goers, and picnic groups. Hand signals to the left or right mean there’s something to see. As we pass, Stephanie points out more graffiti – on the bridge, a kiosk, or a house wall.

What began as "tags," fleeting scribbles or signatures with which the first street artists left their mark on the city has evolved into a dynamic and celebrated art form. The first playground for the scene in Munich was the flea market area on Dachauer Straße, just behind Leonrodplatz, in the early '80s. On the abandoned barracks grounds, young artists, sprayers, musicians, and bands gathered.

"In 1985, a group of artists managed to create the first 'wholetrain' in Europe, painting an entire S-Bahn train," Stephanie recounts. After the legendary "Geltendorf Train," Munich and its trains became a magnetic draw for street artists from around the world. Leading the way was Matthias Köhler. As a student, he and the others had to pay a hefty fine for the painted train. Today, under his artist name "Loomit," he is famous and has even had the chance to "redecorate" the bathroom of former Mayor Christian Ude.

Not everyone works with spray paint; some use brushes, markers, stencils, or tape. This is also the case in the "Säulenhalle" of Fame under the Brudermühlbrücke, where 300 meters of tape have been applied by the Berlin collective Klebebande. Above, traffic flows steadily along the Mittlerer Ring. Below, the bridge serves as an outdoor gallery curated by MUCA: since 2013, the concrete pillars have been adorned by international artists like Case Maclaim, L.E.T, and Herakut. The long-haired beauty from Australian artist Rone smiles seductively against the constant hum of street noise, while buses stop next to a child reaching for the stars – a piece by Sebastian Wandl titled "Don't be a puppet," which blends seamlessly with the concrete. The young artist from Frankfurt also designed the gate at MUCA.

"We aim to bring art into public spaces or non-art locations," explains Stephanie. Colors and images conquer the streets, walls, and squares. Especially in a neighborhood or a rather gray, drab passageway where you least expect it, it's a wonderful surprise.

At the former livestock market, the sweet scent of spray paint wafts towards us. Here, everyone is still allowed to unleash their creativity. On one wall, a young emerging artist is experimenting with pink, while a sprayer has parked his SLK Mercedes next to a boombox just a corner away. Only one container in the middle stands out, bright white and untouched. Each window bears a sign that reads, "please, please, please do not... spray." So far, it seems the community has respected that.

The Schlachthofviertel in Isarvorstadt is a mecca for both big-name and unknown graffiti artists. "What will happen to the creative container village 'Bahnwärter Thiel' and the art wall on Tumblinger Straße is unfortunately uncertain," Stephanie laments. The 40 shipping containers have been transformed and stacked, where ideas are sprayed, tomatoes and herbs grow in urban gardening pots, and parties are held in the evenings.

If you’re up for extra tours, away from the Isar, there are still artworks to discover in the underpass beneath the Altstadtring between the English Garden and the State Chancellery, at Donnersberger Brücke, or on Giesinger Berg...

After about three hours of exciting twists and turns through the city, we reach our destination: MUCA, easily recognizable by the black-and-white swirls on the facade created by Berlin artist Stohead with a custom-made 5-can contraption. Housed in a former transformer station of the city utilities right in the old town, MUCA offers 2,000 square meters of space for styles and stencils, graffiti, murals, installations, and works by spray artists, stencilers, and tape artists.

"The exciting thing for us is that we deal with 99% living artists. We want to bridge the gap between an international professional audience, artists, and the public," says Stephanie. That’s why art education is particularly important at MUCA: artist talks, expert discussions, readings, guided tours, and workshops covering everything from graffiti to beatboxing.

The Street Art Bike Tour (external link, opens in a new window) can be booked online. Duration: 3.5 hours. Meeting point/departure: Kiosk "Fräulein Grüneis" at the Eisbach, entrance English Garden Prinzregentenstraße.

Picture at the top: actually much too good to just whizz through - a graffiti by HNRX in the subway at Cornelius Bridge

Text & pictures Nathalie Schwaiger