According to Aleksei Jefimov, head specialist for mobile youth work at the City of Tallinn Education Department, mobile youth work helps prevent issues, supports, and guides youth, especially those in challenging circumstances, if and when they seek and need it.

"The goal of the graffiti project is not only to provide young people with an opportunity to create art but also to reduce the spread of illegal graffiti in urban spaces and to enrich the cultural experience of city residents and visitors," said Jefimov.

 The initiative, which began two years ago, has achieved an unexpected level of success, according to a City of Tallinn press release.

In the last two years, three legal graffiti walls have been established in Tallinn.

The first legal graffiti wall in the Estonian capital opened in 2022 on the concrete walls of the Pärnu maantee viaduct. The following year, a second wall was unveiled in Põhja-Tallinn near Paljassaare tee on an old fence. Now, the third was introduced at Sääse tänav 16/18 in the Mustamäe district. The wall has already been decorated by over 30 experienced artists and young art enthusiasts from Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, and Spain.

Kristel Ulp, a police lieutenant at the Lääne-Harju Police Department, noted the positive impact of providing a legal venue for graffiti enthusiasts in one of Tallinn's most populous districts.

"All enthusiasts have the opportunity to create art year-round in a specially designated place on the street. It also allows the police to direct street artists to create their artworks in an accepted location," Ulp said.

The legal graffiti wall is available for use by anyone at any time. The purpose is to provide a safe space to practice creating graffiti works, for both novices and experienced street artists. It also reduces the illegal marking of public and private property.

More information about Tallinn's legal graffiti walls (in Estonian) can be found here.

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