Måløy – the Best Street Art Town in Norway
Located on the rugged west coast of Norway, the fishing town of Måløy was not known by many. It’s a working fishing town, located close to the dangerous Stad peninsula and rich fishing grounds of the Norwegian Sea. However, in recent years, Måløy has become known around Norway as one of the best places to view street art. Once known as a busy fishing port, today Måløy is celebrated for its vibrant art scene, with beautiful murals by famous artists.
In this guide, I’ve put together an overview of how street art came to Måløy, plus the most popular murals to see during your stay.
In this article...
Street Art By the Sea: How the Movement Began
Måløy’s street art movement is all thanks to one woman’s vision. When artist Tone Holvik Andal returned to her hometown in 2010 after living in Oslo, she saw potential in Måløy’s many plain buildings, many built up after the war. Decades earlier, World War II had scarred the town during the Måløy raid, and utilitarian concrete buildings went up to replace them in the 1950s. These blank concrete facades, dull and worn by North Sea gales, struck Andal as ‘a perfect starting point to turn grey stone into gold’.
In 2014, Andal set out to inject life into the buildings. With support from the locals, she launched the “Street Art Måløy” initiative – essentially a grassroots project to invite street artists to paint murals around the town. In September 2017, the first large-scale mural appeared, and the experiment was an instant hit. The inaugural piece, The Goldfisherman, depicted a grizzled fisherman gazing over stormy seas, with a thick gold chain around his neck as gulls flutter around him. The locals loved the mural, which inspired more to come to Måløy.
Over the next few years, Tone Andal curated a colourful makeover of Måløy. She coordinated with international and local artists, found willing building owners, and got community support. Today, the town has about 20 murals, most within easy walking distance of the city centre. Andal’s project continues to evolve each year, and the dream is to have 35 murals in Måløy, putting the fishing town on the map as one of the best places in Norway to view street art.
Mural Map
The tourist office has a fantastic map with all the murals, so I recommend picking one up before heading out on your walk. Otherwise, I’ve included a Google map on this article with some of the murals.
Murals in Måløy Town Centre
The Goldfisherman (2017)
Artist: Stepan Bares (Siberia/Bergen) & Gaute Haugland (Bergen).
Location: Gate 1, near the guest harbour, on a waterfront building.
This was Måløy’s very first mural, and it is still one of the most popular. A weather-beaten fisherman squints towards the sea, rugged in his oilskins, with seagulls swooping around him and a massive gold chain dangling from his neck. The gold chain hints at the fishing fortunes made here, but also nods to the rumoured underworld of the fishing trade, a bold wink of the towns past. Locals loved this mural, and its success set the stage for more murals to come.
The Mackerel Sturgeon (2018)
Artist: Mikael Noguchi
Location: Ferry terminal
Noguchi, an illustrator of Japanese and Scandinavian heritage, recreated a black–and–white photo of a local fisherman proudly posing with a giant Atlantic Bluefin tuna (locally nicknamed the ‘mackerel sturgeon’). The tuna is rendered in lifelike detail, from its gleaming scales to its formidable size, evoking the days when such catches were common in Måløy. Today the Bluefin Tuna is endangered, and the mural carries a conservation message – it was created in partnership with marine researchers and the local fishing club.
Coastal Women (2019)
Artist: Mikael Noguchi
Location: Ferry terminal
One year after The Mackerel Sturgeon, Mikael Noguchi returned to honour the unsung heroes of the fishing industry – the women. This mural is based on archival photos of local women working in the fish processing and trade in decades past. His design portrays a group of hardworking women, painted with respect and realism, on the same building as his other work. In between the women and the men, you’ll see children running off with stolen fish in hand! This detail comes from local lore – back in the day, kids with snatch the drying fish and sell them to other children as a salty treat.
Big Cod (2018)
Artists: TelmoMiel
Location: Gate 1, near the Jernia Brunsvik shop
The Dutch street art duo Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann visited Måløy in the summer of 2018 and left behind a whimsical tribute to local lore. The mural depicts a huge cod – a nod to the staple catch that sustained the town – behind held by a woman. But look closely – you’ll notice there are four hands! On top of that, the hands are of an elderly person. Banknotes are flying around the woman, symbolising the wealth of the fishing industry.
"Bugg" Trilogy (2019)
Artist: Kim Larsen (Sinnsykshit)
Location: Kiwi grocery store
Not all of Måløy’s murals focus on history – Oslo-based artist Kim Larsen brought a fresh jolt of contemporary style with his series of three pieces nicknamed the ‘Bugg’ trilogy. Larsen was the first artist given carte blanche with no requirements to incorporate local themes.
Upwind (2021)
Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)
Location: Gate 1, by the car ferry road
This is one of Måløy’s standout murals, and it’s by SMUG, a renowned Australian muralist known for his amazing photorealism. SMUG visited Måløy in 2021 and captured the town’s character in a hyper-realistic scene that locals have dubbed ‘Upwind’. The artwork shows a person bracing against Måløy’s legendary gale-force winds, clutching an inside-out umbrella, a witty homage to the fact that this is one of the windiest places in Norway.
Opposite the man with the umbrella is another work by SMUG, depicting a shark (fish?) behind held by a man.
Eagle Artwork
Artist: Art_by_Frederiko
Location: Gate 1, by the hairdresser
I don’t have much information on this one, but when it was explained to me by a local, the eagle is holding plastic instead of fish, representing all the trash in the oceans.
Great Tit (2019)
Location: Gate 1
Artist: Peter John De Villiers
This artwork was finished shortly after Kim Larsen came in 2019. It is by Peter John De Villiers, who is represented by the illustration agency ByHands and lives close by in Stad. He chose the great tit, a bird that is abundant in the area. This is the first mural in Måløy to be painted with a brush.
Man Getting Pooped On
Location: Gate 1
Artist: ??
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much information online about this one, but it is one of my favourites!
Elvis Presley
Location: Between Sjogata and Gate 1, opposite the petrol station
Artist: ??
This one commemorates the Elvis Presley Festival in Måløy, which takes place every July and is the only officially recognised Elvis Festival by the Elvis Presley Foundation. You can learn more about it on their official website.
Dirty Yellow
Location: Across from the bank, in an underpass.
Artist: Proy
This is the first abstract mural in Måløy.
Crab
Location: Gate 1, close to the museum.
Artist: M.u.M
M.u.M is a well-known artist from Bergen. He came to Måløy just one month after the first mural was erected and put up this crab mural. His paintings are recognisable for how vibrant they are.
Måløy Sign
Location: Industrial building
Artist:
I only saw this one when we left Måløy by car ferry, so I’m not 100% sure how good the view is if you walk to it. This is one of my favourites – it’s like a postcard of all the lovely things you can see in Måløy!
Exploring Street Art in Måløy
What makes Måløy’s street art scene truly special is its blend of local and global influences. While many early murals celebrated local heritage, recent additions explore broader themes and showcase artists worldwide. Tone Andal has curated works by Dutch, Japanese-Norwegian, Australian, and other
international artists, all leaving a bit of their culture on Måløy’s walls. The result is an eclectic mix – a dialogue between Måløy’s seafaring past and the wider world of street art.
Community initiatives have been key to this movement’s success. Måløy’s residents and businesses have warmly embraced the art, often sponsoring walls or providing lifts and paint. The local government, initially cautious, now recognises street art as a cultural asset that draws tourists and enlivens public spaces. There may not be a formal annual “street art festival” here (the mural additions have been staggered year by year), but each new artwork’s unveiling feels like a town-wide celebration. Social media fills with snapshots when a mural is finished, and families take weekend strolls to see the latest one. What began as Tone Andal’s personal project has become a community-wide pride, proving that art can thrive outside big cities – even in a small town by the North Sea.
Today it’s possible to do a street art city walk guided by knowledgeable locals. On this tour, you’ll hear the anecdotes and inspirations behind the paintings. For a self-guided tour, pick up a map from the tourist office or simply keep your eyes peeled for the bursts of colour on the walls.
Resources
I visited Måløy two times in order to put together this guide – I missed several pieces on my first visit!
I also had help from the following online resources: