URBAN CARTOGRAPHER 2025-2026

PHOTOGRAPHED AUGUST 2025

THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT MURAL BE FRENCH ARTIST ZABOU [BALLYBEG PARK WATERFORD 2021]

The Art of Connection: How Street Artist Zabou is Transforming Waterford

Ever wondered how a splash of paint can transform a city? Street art is no longer just about rebellious tags and hidden graffiti. It’s a powerful force for change, bringing communities together and breathing new life into forgotten spaces. Here in Waterford, that transformation is happening one wall at a time, thanks to the annual Waterford Walls Festival and a special partnership with French artist, Zabou.

Her work is a testament to the fact that street art can be so much more than just a pretty picture. It’s a tool for civic engagement, social communication, and community pride.

Meet the Artist: Zabou’s Story

Zabou is a French street artist who now calls London home. She’s a master of large-scale, realistic murals, and her style is instantly recognisable. Her work features striking, black-and-white portraits that seem to pop right off the wall, often set against vibrant, colourful backdrops.

Her journey into street art began after she moved to the UK for her studies. London’s thriving street art scene, especially in areas like Brixton and Shoreditch, inspired her to pick up a spray can herself. What started as a personal passion soon blossomed into a global career. Today, Zabou has created over 250 murals in more than 23 countries, leaving her mark all across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

More Than Just a Portrait

Zabou’s art is all about human connection. She starts her process by photographing her subjects, focusing on their expressions and emotions. She believes that transforming a person’s likeness into a giant mural creates a “precious” and intimate bond. For her, the most rewarding moment is when her subject sees the finished piece, a powerful reminder that her art is a shared human experience.

Zabou sees street art as something temporary and ever-evolving. She isn’t sad when a mural is painted over, viewing it as a natural part of the art form’s cycle. She believes that once a piece is in a public space, it no longer belongs just to her, but to the community. Her goal is simple: to make the world “a more colourful place, one wall at a time” and to inspire people, even if it’s just by making their day a little bit brighter.

The Festival: Waterford Walls

Founded in 2014, the Waterford Walls Festival has grown into Ireland’s largest street art event. It’s a social enterprise with a clear mission: to use art to “transform and regenerate urban spaces”. The festival turns the city into an open-air gallery, making art accessible to everyone. The community is at the heart of the festival, from workshops for local schools to a mentorship programme for up-and-coming Irish artists.

To combat the temporary nature of street art, the festival even created the “Moving Murals” augmented reality (AR) app. This clever technology allows you to use your phone to see some of the murals come to life, preserving a digital record of the art for a global audience.

A Powerful Partnership: Zabou and Waterford

The collaboration between Zabou and Waterford Walls is a perfect example of how an artist and an organisation can work together to create something truly meaningful. Zabou’s focus on human connection and community narratives aligns perfectly with the festival’s mission of urban regeneration.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of her impactful murals:

2021: “Same but different”

Located in Ballybeg Park, this mural depicts twin sisters. It’s a beautiful representation of the “same but different” dualities within a community, celebrating both our shared identity and our individual stories. This piece perfectly captures the festival’s goal of using art to connect people.

2022: “Senan and The Little Prince”

Zabou collaborated with Irish artist Juliette Viode on this project for the Brown’s Road Library. The mural features a local boy, Senan, with a character from his favourite book, The Little Prince. Commissioned to celebrate the library’s reopening after the pandemic, the mural became a symbol of community resilience and a brilliant tool for promoting literacy. It wasn’t just art—it was a message of hope and rebirth.

2023: “Annabelle & Billy”

This powerful mural, located on the gable end of Mulligan’s Pharmacy, was created for Ireland’s National Breastfeeding Week. A collaboration with The Walls Project, Healthy Waterford, and the Health Service Executive (HSE), the mural was a public health statement. It won “Media Feature Art Work Of The Year” at the Friends of Breastfeeding awards, showing how street art can be a powerful and legitimate tool for public advocacy.

The Impact on Our Streets
The collaboration between Zabou and Waterford Walls shows us a new future for urban art. Artists like Zabou are moving beyond traditional gallery spaces to become active participants in urban policy, public health campaigns, and community building.

Her work not only beautifies our city but also communicates, educates, and unifies. It reminds us that public spaces are living galleries and that art can be a catalyst for real, positive change.

What do you think of this partnership between art and community? Have you visited any of the murals mentioned in this post? We’d love to hear your thoughts!