‘art walker’ video project follows the journey of a painting through london’s urban landscape
what happens when a painting quietly walks among us? the project responds while blurring the line between performance, public art, and moving image.
a surreal london journey by tayfun sarier and zeynep oğuz
A curious figure weaves through the streets of London: an Art Walker guiding a large framed painting of a woman through parks, alleyways, and urban corners. This is the premise of Art Walker, a video project that follows a fictional but deeply symbolic role: a person whose job is to move art through the real world. Created by artist Tayfun Sarier and directed by Zeynep Oğuz, the project blurs the line between performance, public intervention, and moving image. But the story doesn’t end there. In a moment of surreal coincidence, the painting encounters an identical version of itself, this time not in a frame, but walking free.
outside Tate Britain – the ‘Art Walker’ has taken the painting and is walking away from the building | images courtesy of Tayfun Sarier and Zeynep Oğuz
art walker unfolds as a living, breathing city intervention
Over the course of two intensive days, Tayfun Sarier and Zeynep Oğuz brought Art Walker to life without permits, staged crowds, or scripted reactions. The choreography was designed to interact with London’s diverse urban fabric, inviting chance as a central creative force. The painting, set within a hand-built, reinforced frame, was carried through the city by the Art Walker, whose journey unfolds silently but meaningfully across bustling sidewalks, quiet paths, and unexpected vistas.
The multidisciplinary artist and the director team embraced spontaneity, capturing unscripted moments of confusion, intrigue, and quiet wonder. By removing the art from its traditional gallery context, Art Walker challenges our perception of both artwork and audience. Passersby, caught off guard, become accidental participants in a fleeting performance. And when the painting meets its human doppelgänger — subtly staged but never explained — the project takes a surreal turn, prompting reflection on identity, repetition, and the quiet power of surprise. In blending fiction with live cityscape, Art Walker offers more than visual spectacle: it’s a meditation on visibility, presence, and the role of art in public life.
in the middle of the Barbican Estate, the painting is juxtaposed with grey concrete and high-rise apartments
the Art Walker walks through an open square or field with historic architecture in the background
the painting is now on a high-end shopping street
the Art Walker walks along a gritty urban path, contrasting the classical painting with brutalist architecture and graffiti
in front of the National Theatre, another brutalist structure
a dramatic close-up of the painting held high near Big Ben
in the thick of London traffic, crosswalk chaos, a green black cab, a double-decker bus in the background, and pedestrians in all directions
the painting peeks over a concrete wall with the London Eye in the background
project info:
name: Art Walker
artist: Tayfun Sarier | @tayfunsarier
director: Zeynep Oğuz | @zeynepoguzfilms
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
