Upfest, Europe's largest street art festival, celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, where, in addition to many international artists, the Hungarian street artist Taker could create freely in his own style.

To be present as an artist at Europe's biggest street art festival is, in my opinion, a pretty cool thing and an honorable feeling. Please tell me a little about the festival.

How did you get in touch with them?

You have to apply for most festivals, and it's no different here. From this point of view, the only special aspect of Upfest is that the majority (hundreds, in principle) paint on the fiberboard panels set up during the festival weekend in a park, which are taken down at the end of the weekend, and far fewer people get the opportunity to paint on real walls in the city.

It was possible to indicate on the application form that one intends to apply only if a real, permanent wall is provided, in this case I did so, and luckily the organizers decided that I should receive such an interface.

Was this your first job at the festival or have you participated in the event before?

A 2016-os Upfest volt az első külföldi fesztivál, amin életemben részt vettem, akkor persze a fentiekkel ellentétben még csak farostlemez felületre festettem, és annak is nagyon örültem. 🙂 Idén második alkalommal voltam Upfesten résztvevő.

What care did you receive while the work was completed?

They provided accommodation and all the paint and equipment needed for painting. In addition, they primed the wall in the color I requested before my arrival, then brought my paints to the site every morning at an agreed time, and when I finished the work, they took them away.

On what basis was the location selected?

The surface is assigned to everyone by the organizers and sent a few weeks in advance so that we know what to expect, can prepare the design, and place the necessary paint order.

Are there restrictions regarding the completed works, or can everyone create freely in their own style?

The Upfest it is also special in that, based on my experience so far, in a unique way, it is not necessary to approve what someone intends to paint.

Taker his artwork was created for the shutters and walls of the PDSA Charity Shop on the corner of East street and Warden street. It's a store that welcomes donations, so people can drop off their tired clothes, books, toys, etc., and the proceeds from their sales go toward curing sick animals.

As a result, the artist thought that he wanted to make a drawing as spectacular as possible, so he chose attention-grabbing colors, and cats are extremely popular animals, and they fit this theme. Regarding the colors, he smuggled so much extra into the design that the splashes starting from the red and blue cat surround the purple kitten, as if we could see a loving family of kittens painted on the wall.