Founded in spring 2010, Zagreb’s Street Art Museum doesn’t have a fixed physical home, opening hours, curators or pompous openings. This is how the museum’s director Ivana Vukšić describes the initiative, conceived as a series of projects. The first was successfully completed when over 80 artists were given 450 metres of the wall that lines Branimirova street and separates it from train tracks. One hot afternoon last month, I took a walk along this city centre strip to see the famed wall of graffiti and snap a few photos.

The wall has been sprayed over with graffiti since the 1990s but for this particular city-backed project there was an actual contest. 117 people submitted their works that would beautify one of Zagreb’s busiest streets. In May, the wall – one of three legal graffiti surfaces in Zagreb – got a fresh new makeover, graced by the work of some of Croatia’s most talented graffiti and stencil artists and collectives such as John Croat, Puma34 and oKo. Below, some photos and the museum’s objective.

“This project is dedicated to forming a more coherent street art scene in Croatia, raising people’s awareness about street art and its values, and marking the city of Zagreb on a global map of cities that support this kind of artistic expressions.”

“We aspire to bring art and its creative energy into the parts of Zagreb where a lot of people live and they have no cultural content.”

“So not only that we would put Zagreb on a map of world’s friendly street art cities but we would like to make something socially responsible.”

“Creation and creativity are the beginning and the conclusion of the museum’s mission,” said Ivana Vukšić. In the works are various art interventions as well as an initiative that would allow artists to spend a few months painting soon-to-be-demolished buildings.