Rise of street art in Leeds

Everywhere you go in Leeds, whether it be the outskirts or the City Centre, you bump into some ‘street art’. 

Since 2017 there has been a constant rise of graffiti in Leeds, and in the summer of 2017, Leeds was declared the “UK’s Street art Capital” by the Sunday times. 

Street art is so prominent in Leeds City Centre that they have their own Art trail, where you can follow all the different pieces of graffiti in the city, on one journey. 

This picture was taken in Headingley, the outskirts of Leeds City centre, and a very student dominant area. Every street you walk down there is a piece of street art, which brings life to the area. 

In the past, street art used to be a sign of neglect and was described as art there to provoke, empower or question. As a city, Leeds have decided to take street art in a different direction, and really take the benefits from it. Graffiti has been used to enliven the streets and give the city a real brand image, instead of just washing/scrubbing it away.