Paste up Portsmouth: artists transform Southsea Common in street art festival return

Southsea Common was brought to life last weekend as artists from across the globe reunited for the return of #PasteUpPompey at the 2024 LOOKUP Portsmouth street art festival.

The event, a vibrant collaboration featuring over 60 paste-up artworks, transformed Clarence Parade’s wall into a large outdoor canvas, showcasing submissions from Japan, Australia, South America, the USA, Europe, and the UK. This marked a triumphant return for the annual project, which first launched in 2020.

Drawing in a crowd of approximately 30,000 visitors—surpassing last year’s 20,000—the festival highlighted Portsmouth’s growing status as a hub for street art.

Lissitch.1kp, the Portsmouth-based artist behind the project, expressed gratitude for the international contributions: “I was genuinely humbled by the generosity of the global paste-up community. Submissions poured in from all over the world, alongside amazing contributions from local artists. The collaborative spirit is what really made this year so special.”

One of the standout pieces was Lissitch.1kp’s giant bee poster, which featured an interactive QR code leading to a 360-degree experience dubbed ‘Bee-world’.

This artwork aimed to raise funds for the local Bee Keepers Association. Reflecting on the public reaction, Lissitch.1kp said: “It was fantastic to see people scanning the code and exploring Bee-world on their phones—it really brought the project to life.”

Volunteers from Action Asylum, alongside local students and artists, played a key role in setting up the installation. Lissitch.1kp praised the sense of community: “The whole day was buzzing, with so many people lending a hand and residents from nearby buildings expressing their love for the vibrancy we’ve brought to the area.”

Beyond its visual appeal, #PasteUpPompey forged connections across borders. One particularly moving moment came when an Iranian asylum seeker, who had previously risked his life posting political posters, volunteered at the event.

His involvement in Portsmouth was a stark contrast to his experience back home. Lissitch.1kp said: “Being able to freely contribute to a paste-up wall here was a liberating experience for him.”

LOOKUP Festival Director Angela Parks celebrated the event’s success and promised more to come: “This year’s response has been incredible, and we’re excited to see how #PasteUpPompey continues to grow. We’re already looking forward to bigger things next year.”

The two-day festival remains committed to promoting diversity within street art, particularly encouraging female and under-represented artists.

For more information on LOOKUP Portsmouth, visit lookup-portsmouth.co.uk.