24 photos of the world's most awesome street art

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Victor Moriyama / Getty

Cities aren't static.

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They're shaped by the people that live there. 

Whether or not you call it vandalism, places like New York, São Paulo, and Berlin are transformed by the artists that turn bare walls into art.

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New York has its share of major murals ...

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Javi Sánchez de la viña / Flickr

... like this Eduardo Kobra sighted from the High Line public walkway.

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Nan Palmero / Flickr
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The city has also has plenty of culture-jamming defacing of advertisements.

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Poster Boy / Flickr
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Some artists like KATSU take to innovative methods ...

 

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... like employing drones to tag one of the city's most visible billboards last April.

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Youtube

In São Paulo ...

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Victor Moriyama / Getty Images
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... muralist Nunca has turned large swathes of the city into ...

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Victor Moriyama / Getty

... his canvas.

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Victor Moriyama / Getty
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The Chilean artist Jorge Selaron spent over 25 years decorating this 215-step staircase in Rio de Janeiro, giving it the name "Escadaria Selarón."

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Shutterstock

Elsewhere in Rio, public infrastructure gets turned into art.

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Dimitry B. / flickr
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In Amsterdam, the street art is obviously paired with bicycles.

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FaceMePLS / Flickr

Earlier this summer, Bristol, UK, had Europe's largest street art fair.

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Matt Cardy / Getty
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250 artists came from 25 countries to decorate the industrial city's walls.

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Matt Cardy / Getty

In London, the Shoreditch neighborhood is a go-to spot for graffiti.

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Roman Hobler / Flickr
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Familiar faces tend to show up.

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Roman Hobler / Flickr

The creative fermentation of New Orleans...

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Travis Wise / Flickr
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... is everywhere in the city.

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Travis Wise / Flickr

Banksy made several works reflecting on Hurricane Katrina.

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Mark Gstohl / Flickr
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But the Mecca of street art is Berlin.

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Sean Gallup / Getty

There's just nothing like it.

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Wendelin Jacober / flickr
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... hosts a rotating selection of artists.

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Fredrik Rubensson / Flickr
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And a symbol of division ...

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Wikimedia Commons

... has been turned into a vessel of creativity.

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Mike Steele / Flickr
Art
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