"Street Art of Amman" by Erik Smith

One of the first things I noticed when I began exploring Amman was the street art, spectacular in its diversity, quality, and ubiquity. A previous EdAbroad staff member made an excellent post documenting the history of this art, which I strongly encourage you to check out here before continuing. As informative as that post is, it features relatively few actual examples of the art, and I am a firm believer that, for all that can be gained from discussing art and its origins, nothing compares to experiencing it. So, let’s dive in to some of my favorite murals and “graffiti” that I’ve found around the city!

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I’m not sure how this art got here, since there don’t seem to be any businesses around that may have commissioned it, but the level of detail and planning shows it was certainly pre-approved. I love its perfect positioning to fill an otherwise blank wall, and this is one of the most impressive pieces I have seen around the city. Birds seem to be a common theme in some street art; you can also see them in the large mural used as this post’s banner photo. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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This painting appears to commemorate World Children’s Day, a UN holiday celebrating children and reminding folks of the plight many face around the world. The placement was very clever, as it is best seen from the Roman Nymphaeum, the ruins you see in the foreground of this photo that are located in the heart of downtown Amman. From this position, we can see Amman’s ancient past… and its bright future. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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I had to share this one for comic relief. While basic enough that even I might be able to do it, the misspelling is among the funniest I have come across, and I wanted to spread the joy. It’s also important to recognize that there are more people decorating the streets with valuable sentiments than just established and commissioned artists. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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This mural highlights the diversity that many Ammanis are proud of. While Jordan is a predominantly Muslim and Arab country, there are many vibrant communities that fall outside of these labels, especially in this city, and there is plenty of variety in how members of the majority communities present themselves as well. While nowhere has perfect tolerance, it is heartening to see the pride that most Ammanis take in the coexistence of many different groups. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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It’s hard to get a good picture of this piece due to the cars perpetually parked next to it and blocking a wider angle, but its beauty and mystery are evident from any perspective. This was one of the first works I saw in Amman and the line, “the city is so empty”, astounded me considering how bustling and large Amman is. I wonder at its meaning often, although I don’t suspect I’ll ever know exactly what it is the artist is missing, nor could I without being a native Ammani myself. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

This section of wall, just down the sidewalk from the last picture, clearly falls more into the “graffiti” category than some others, and I am taken with its organic and complex nature. The carefully depicted cat portrays pride and determination, while the name of a globally acclaimed public intellectual below hints at Amman’s globalizing nature and the value of discourse no matter where you are. The simpler black drawings above and around these remind me of the organic nature of the street art culture all around Amman and its constant evolution thanks to the contributions of professionals and amateurs alike. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

Speaking of cats, Amman has a lot of them. This one seemed to be posing when I noticed it blending wonderfully with the color scheme of the abstract cityscape painted behind it. Once again, art in the city shows itself to always be spontaneous and evolving with its environment. I couldn’t have planned it better myself! Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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Just uphill from the last photo, this is one of my favorites in terms of aesthetic quality. It’s precisely the kind of confounding and striking art that I like to hang on my own walls. This one is actually an advertisement for a café a few streets over: the Arabic word written in red is “shams”, meaning “sun”, the name of the café which this painting captures brilliantly. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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This is another work that really speaks to my personal style. The cartoonish style makes a lot of the more surreal elements of the piece work splendidly, and I’m impressed with how the artist emphasized exactly what they wanted to while downplaying features that are traditionally expected, such as the subject’s ambiguous gender and age. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

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Lastly, this may be my favorite piece I’ve spotted thus far, though it was tucked away in a parking lot and is considerably smaller than many others. Nonetheless, it is incredibly aesthetically appealing – I can easily imagine this as a tattoo, which is some of the highest praise I can give – and masterfully blends some of the most pressing themes of modernity: feeling “connected” while in a digital “bubble” and trying to retain our own organic forms. Photo credit: Smith, 2021

That’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed this brief tour. As you can likely tell from some of the non-ideal angles, the only way to really appreciate many of these pieces is to see them in person. While I’ve tried to convey their brilliance as best I can, I find this to be one of their most appealing features: they are intrinsically tied to the city and their immediate environment, and only deepen my love for their surroundings as a whole. I can’t wait to see what I spot next!