
''Fascinate'' is a
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
painting at an industrial park in
Bromsten,
Stockholm.
''Fascinate'' was created by Circle and Tariq (
Tarik Saleh
Tarik Saleh ( ar, طارق صالح; born 28 January 1972) is a Swedish television producer, animator, publisher, journalist and film director. He was born in Högalids församling, Stockholm to a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father. In th ...
), then 17 years old, in 1989 and was then the largest graffiti painting in northern Europe. It is painted on an outside wall of an industrial building and was made with consent from the property owner. ''Fascinate'' is one of the world's oldest still existing graffiti paintings.
In 1989 graffiti was a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden. The Bromsten industrial area was reconstructed into a residential area starting in 2018. A discussion took place about possible protection of ''Fascinate'' as the
Stockholm City Museum
The Stockholm City Museum ( sv, Stadsmuseet i Stockholm) is a museum documenting, preserving and exhibiting the history of Stockholm. The museum is housed in Södra Stadshuset at Slussen on Södermalm. The building was completed in 1685. In the 1 ...
considered it culturally valuable. In 2008, however, the center-right majority in the city planning committee decided that the painting should not be maintained, referring to the city's graffiti policy, which says that the city should not "participate in activities that in any way encourages graffiti".
After a period of uncertainty regarding the future of ''Fascinate'', the wall became the first graffiti work in Sweden to be officially protected in 2015. The rest of the building is to be demolished and the area around the wall transformed into a park.
References
Further reading
ETC Stockholm: Klotterpolicy sätter stopp för K-märkning av graffitiStockholms Fria: Borgarna ska rensa bort skyddsvärd graffitiStockholms Fria: ”Stockholms klotterpolicy förbjuder även laglig graffiti”Fria Tidningen: Borgerligt nej till att skydda graffitiFria Tidningen: Stockholms graffiti kan k-märkas
{{Tarik Saleh
1989 in art
1989 establishments in Sweden
1989 works
Graffiti and unauthorised signage
Public art