‘It’s unexpected joy’: the guerrilla mosaic artists adding colour to potholes, benches and bomb craters

<p>From Southampton to Sarajevo, urban mosaicists are transforming city spaces and bringing communities together – one tile at a time</p><p>Our cities are full of grey&nbsp;tower blocks built&nbsp;for efficiency rather than aesthetics. Public benches are made of cheap concrete, pavements are falling apart, old structures are left derelict. Amid this backdrop of unloved, muted ugliness, a new wave of guerrilla mosaicists are enlivening their cities with beautiful, colourful designs.</p><p>These artists rarely get official sign-off for their work. The legality of their art can be murky, with one of the&nbsp;medium’s more prolific artists, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mrmosaicwill/?hl=en">Will Rosie</a>, calling it “Permission-vague street art” (His <a href="https://squoji.co.uk/product/mr-mosaic-unarrestable/">book</a> is aptly named Mr&nbsp;Mosaic: Unarrestable). Rosie installs Mr Men and other cartoon-inspired mosaics around Southampton, where he lives. He encourages volunteers to assist him with projects to make the art form more accessible. “People are bored and missing community,” the 52-year-old youth worker says. “I want to make the city a better place, and people can see that. And they love that I’m doing it without permission because it’s like: ‘Stick it to the man, you ain’t got no power over me, coppers!’”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/nov/13/new-wave-of-guerrilla-mosaic-makers-hackney-southampton-edinburgh-chicago">Continue reading...</a>