‘SEEK‘ is a Contemporary Urban Arts Festival held in Dundalk since 2019. With the aim to showcase urban art in Dundalk, as well as revitalise the town’s physical landscape, SEEK have invited Irish and international street artists and muralists to paint works which highlight aspects of the town’s culture, heritage and history.
OMIN is a graphic artist from Dundalk and is one of the organisers of the SEEK festival. With a background in graffiti, OMIN has become established in the international graffiti art scene and has painted across Europe and the US. For SEEK 2021, OMIN will be painting a piece which celebrates over 150 years of the railway industry in Dundalk.
FRIZ is an artist based in Northern Ireland. Her style is largely influenced by her background in animation and Ireland’s rich mythology and history, including illustrated manuscripts. For SEEK 2021, FRIZ is painting a mural of Frances Leopold McClintock, ‘The Artic Fox’. Located on Crowe Street, this mural details Frances’ exploration of the Canadian Artic coastline for which he became famous.
BASIK is an Italian artist who is painting in Dundalk for the first time. His style is a combination of graphic design and graffiti and takes influence from Medieval and Renaissance art. For SEEK 2021, Basik will be painting a mural depicting Oliver Plunkett (the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who became the last known Roman Catholic martyr to die in England). The mural is located on the intersection of Yorke Street and Clanbrassil Street, where Plunkett had been held in a cells under what is now Byrne’s Pharmacy.
Over the past few years the festival has featured work by some of Ireland’s biggest names in Street Art, including Aches and James Earley. A map detailing the locations of all of the murals can be found here.
‘SEEK’ is running from 31 July – 7 August in Dundalk.
To see more of SEEK visit their website and Instagram.
To see more of the artists involved: