Rob Hilken

This one is a biggie! .... joining the dots ... scroll for the full wall. This is the first wall in a wider project that I will be working on over the next 4 months, in collaboration with @daisychaininc , @citysidebelfast , @translinkni , and @ulsteruni . The idea is to create a series of murals and smaller street art interventions along the route between the Ulster University and York Street Station, via the Cityside Retail & Leisure Park. It's a well-used walking route but has some major roads and awkwardly placed crossings to navigate, so this wayfinding project aims to assist people in their travels and make the journey more interesting and enjoyable. This wall is 60m long and features the repeating circles that will be a signature motif in all of the pieces to follow. We decided to use the word 'DISCOVER' on this wall as a centrepiece of the project. It is relevant to all of the project partners: Cityside is a place to discover the unusual leisure opportunities inside (axe throwing!), the University is focused on the discovery of knowledge, and Translink connects the region, so you can discover all that there is to offer. Thanks to all at Daisy Chain Inc for their support, especially @wee.nuls who made this go so smoothly. Thanks to Mark at Cityside for your vision and ongoing support. Massive thanks to @outlinesbelfast for sorting the paint, and there was a lot! Lastly, huge thanks to @vaultartistsni and @sallyspectre - doing this kind of work isn't possible without an amazing support network. #mural #muralartist #hardedgeartwork #streetartnorthernireland #muralism #spraypainting #northernirelandartist #circles

Such an amazing weekend at @waterfordwalls this weekend! Huge thanks to Gabe, John and the rest of the crew for inviting me to paint and for their great hospitality. Such a relaxed friendly vibe and I feel honoured to have been painting alongside such a talented bunch of artists. Thank you @sallyspectre for being an amazing hand model and a great sport! #streetart #muralism #spaghettibros

It's been a busy year of murals but I haven't shared many of them for a few reasons... mostly waiting for larger projects to be complete before sharing my section... but I couldn't wait any longer to show you this one I made up at Vault's Shankill Mission studios. I'll share more of all of the other artists' work when I can, but here's my contribution. It's a spiritual sequel to the JOY mural that I made with @francoisgotbuffed at our old Tower Street studios, trying to spread a little of Vault's values to our neighborhood. The Shankill Mission has a history of providing locals with entertainment, food and cheer throughout its history, and I hope this mural does a little more of that today. Thanks to @vaultartistsni for the opportunity to make this work, and especially to the Vault staff team for their support and the legend that is @emicartist for organising the project. Thanks to @artscouncilni for funding the project and to @argyle_business_centre for their ongoing partnership. Lastly thanks to @daisychaininc for doing background research on the local area to help us come up with our work. #streetart #streetartireland #streetartoftheday #streetart_daily #streetarteverywhere #streetartistry #molotow #molotowheadquarters #graffitiart #mural #muralism #muralart

My piece for Hit The North #htn26. it felt great to be painting at my 10th HTN and it felt like the right time to do something political. It was a privilege to be a part of the crew again this year and to paint alongside so many amazing artists. Best festival vibes as always. Big up to @seedheadarts @artist.zippy @emicartist @hmconstance @wee.nuls and of course @outlinesbelfast for the paint!

Project: When Walls Speak Commissioned by @translinkni @daisychaininc and @emicartist Artists: Fenz and RobH Location: Belfast Grand Central Station Mural Title: ‘Nocturne Flow’ When Walls Speak Welcome is a school-led public art and community engagement programme delivered by Translink in partnership with Daisychain, EMIC, artists and education partners. Fenz and RobH collaborated on this mural, working from ideas generated by pupils at Donegal Road Primary School, who wanted a mural that was inspired by science & art, using kinetic lines to demonstrate learning & movement. Our mural uses the motif of the wise owl to represent learning, an archetype that goes back more than 2,000 years to the Ancient Greeks. The geometric design symbolises science and maths, and evokes the planetary movement of the solar system, or the subatomic particles of the quantum world. We battled some fairly brutal weather over the weekend to get this mural completed, but it’s always a pleasure to be painting alongside so many talented local street artists and muralists. Make sure to check out all of the new murals when you’re passing Grand Central Station next. #mural #streetart #belfast

KEEP IT REAL MURWALLS LIVE 2026 #keepitreal #murwallslive

Huge thanks to Marc, Gnasher and rest of the Murwalls crew for inviting me over for this epic jam in Harlow at the weekend. 60 artists painting in the sun at the first jam of the year. Keep It Real! @murwalls @vaultartistsni @harlowcouncil #spagettibros

A Friday afternoon paste-up session in the rain. What else would you be doing?! cheers Leo for organising! @vaultartistsni rules

I've been waiting for 2026 to start the year-long celebration that marks ten years since 2016! Why 2016? It was, quite literally, a life-changing year for @sallyspectre and me. The biggest thing that happened was, of course, that Sally and I got married in August of 2016... but this post isn't about that, this is about the start of my life as a professional street artist and muralist. The journey started in early 2016 when Joe Keenan invited me to Cavan to participate in a street art jam at @townhallcavan . I began painting walls in about 2006 and Joe had seen some of that early work (which I will share here at some point soon) and invited @emicartist and me down for a paint jam that summer. I painted the 'Dream a little dream' mural, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, would kickstart a ten-year journey into isometric patterns. I had been making work that used song titles for a short while (the Bangor ForM sculpture exhibition being the most notable work), and with our upcoming wedding on the horizon, alongside the potential of the Townhall as a space for artists, using this song felt right. Unfortunately, the mural didn't last long as the building owner wasn't as keen on it as we were! It did make a great backdrop for our wedding, though, as the townhall hosted our legendary evening bash a few weeks later. Luckily for me, though, @hugh_mulholland (curator at @themacbelfast ) saw the mural on my Facebook feed and invited me to propose a design for The MAC. The MAC were going through some well-documented building difficulties and needed to make the entrance and new safety hoardings more welcoming. Hugh had recognised that the isometric style of my Cavan mural would tie in very well with The MAC's branding, and so I pitched another song title, 'Imagine', to be the centrepiece of a series of isometric designs that filled the hoardings that now wrapped around the whole of the building on St Anne's Square. Luckily for me, the team at The MAC loved the idea, and the murals I painted there lasted for far longer than anyone could have predicted.

Open Studio - Saturday 13th (tomorrow!) 10am until 2pm Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hello at the Vault Christmas Market at the weekend! @sallyspectre , the kids, and I had a great weekend, and loved all the conversations we had with everyone. If you missed it or want to see more about what goes into all the work we make, we're having an open studio coffee morning tomorrow between 10 and 2. We have a few bargains you can pick up, but there's no pressure to buy anything if you just want to come and have a look around our studio and chat with us. We're leaving this building in February so this might be the last chance you get to see inside this one! If you don't know, we're at @vaultartistsni in Marlborough House, in between the Malmaison Hotel and Custome House Square. #openstudios #belfastartists

#stickerbomb

Huge thanks to everyone in Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 for helping me paint my contribution to the first HTN street art festival in the city. Big up the local artists who made this happen: @sanimbass @toy_krittaya @nagonfoolfame @kanaet_cnx @dreamgraff_gallery @dreamgraffshop It was a privilege to paint alongside them and spend time the local NI team that I travelled and painted with: @emicartist @artist.zippy @violentlyill @adamturks And to @seedheadarts @britishcouncilnorthernireland for making this happen #htncm25