Urban Art Festival Styria: The Most Important Facts at a Glance

Written by: Hannes Wagner, 19.06.2025

From 2019 until 2024 the Urban Art Festival Styria was held at STUWO Student City Graz. During these years the dormitory was transformed into a unique art space, both inside and out. You will hardly find a wall left untouched by the creative designs. 

So for this year, new locations had to be sought out and found for the festival. But the STUWO Student City Graz remains a very special place for students, as the many artworks created during the festival years are here to stay, turning the dorm into an open museum of urban creativity.  

From 2025 on the Urban Art Festival will be held at new, exciting locations, including Fladnitz on the Teichalm, St. Ruprecht and Graz City. From 1st until 3rd of August, artists from all over Europe are going to come together in Styria once again.

Table Of Contents:

Urban Art Festival Styria at STUWO Graz: A Retrospective (2019–2024) 

Anyone who lives in STUWO Student City Graz knows that this dormitory is way more than just a place to sleep and study. Through the Urban Art Festival, between 2019 and 2024, it has been transformed into a lively art space.

This was made possible in part thanks to Christa Lorenz, who, during her time as residence manager, had the idea to offer the dormitory as a festival venue. It’s thanks to her dedication that the building was transformed into a unique work of art.

With street art, graffiti, jams, exhibitions, a huge public art gallery, workshops, talks, sound and light installations, and live concerts by international artists and groups, the UAFS aims to make art accessible to everyone and to highlight current trends in the scene. The student residence provided the perfect stage for this: a young audience, an open atmosphere, creative minds, and people from all over the world under one roof.

And because so many creative and motivated students are living there, the festival became a space for encounter and participation every year. Especially the in-house workshops and events invited everyone to not only watch but also participate. Even today, the STUWO Student City still radiates creative energy.

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The Student Accommodation as an Art House: Graffiti, Installations & Creativity

Every floor at the STUWO StudentCity Graz tells a different story. In the garage, colourful splashes are bringing some life into the otherwise monotonous room. The window facade is decorated with unique artworks and in the courtyard you can encounter an entire wall full of colourful cats, curiously peeking out of the mural.  Whether in the staircase or on the building’s exterior, countless murals in bright, vibrant colours — some abstract, some surreal — brighten the everyday lives of both residents and visitors.

Every corner carries the signature of a different artist. Year after year artists from all over the world came to Graz to help design the dormitory as part of the festival. For example, Daan Botlek, whose iconic white figures defy all rules of geometry and physics. Or David Leitner, whose giant mural blurs the boundaries between the human psyche and artificial intelligence. Jakoba Niepoort also left her mark – intertwined bodies, reminiscent of elements of nature, explore themes of connection and vulnerability. 

During the festival the residence was filled with a special kind of atmosphere. International guests, curious students, and creative minds from the art scene – everywhere people were discussing, painting, spraying, gluing and laughing – a place full of inspiration. 

And even though the festival has since moved on – the art remains. The STUWO StudentCity stays an open art space full of expression, encounter and inspiration – for residents and visitors alike. 

Urban Art Festival Styria 2025: New Locations, Fresh Inspiration

The Urban Art Festival is entering into the next round in 2025, bringing new locations, new cooperations and fresh artistic impulses along with it. From 28th July until 8th August 2025 workshops, concerts, and art events are going to take place not only in Graz but also in Fladnitz on the Teichalm and St. Ruprecht on the Raab. 

In Fladnitz the participants are going to be living in self-catering huts surrounded in nature – ideal to stock up on inspiration. On July 31st, August 1st and 2nd, the three concert evenings at the Citypeach venue in Graz will take place.

The festival team 2025 brings together people from different countries and cultural backgrounds – including Christa Lorenz, who originally brought the festival to STUWO StudentCity and remains an active part of the team today. Lina Paimina, Christina Ulrich, and Norbert Lipp are also helping the organisation of this year’s program.

Another key focus is international networking. Organisations from eight different countries are taking part – including Future Icons from Austria, which supports young art and cultural projects, and Proyecto Kieu from Spain, which works with young people in rural areas. Also taking part are initiatives from Greece, Turkey, Latvia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ukraine. Each of them brings their own perspectives, projects, and an abundance of creative energy.

For those who want to follow the festival online, regular updates and impressions can be found on Instagram.

 

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