tiny figures by PEJAC drawn as WELCOME in aberdeen to support marginalized people

Tiny Figures by PEJAC on a doormat

When he scouted for a location to exhibit his recent public artwork, urban artist PEJAC walked towards the entrance of a building in the heart of Aberdeen, Scotland. The property’s door on 41 Union Street hosts charities and homes for vulnerable residents facing social exclusion, a narrative that speaks close to the artist’s moral values. At a first glance, viewers might think that nothing special fashions the street art of PEJAC; just a usual doormat with a welcome sign on it. But as one scrutinizes its details, kneeling on the ground and zeroing in their eyes towards the artwork to see its details, they soon see the multitude of tiny figures that make up the doormat. The tiny figures, a signature of the artist who has also drawn the tiny figures along the cracked and peeled walls in Madrid, come together to stand for every aspect of the WELCOME concept.

images from PEJAC

‘WELCOME’ doormat in Aberdeen

‘WELCOME’ is more than just a doormat on a Scottish doorstep. Now more than ever, with the realities of Brexit setting in, this intervention brings together an increasingly large demographic of people who stand for all that surrounds the WELCOME concept, the meaning of which has been increasingly hard to find recently,’ PEJAC writes in his Instagram post. He created this street art for all those who feel marginalized, foreign, and discriminated against, and turned this agglomeration into a doormat that greets anyone who wishes to be welcomed. It puts out the message of dignity, a voice of understanding that those who have been pushed to the margins of society can recognize, if not should, the importance of an open and heartfelt welcome more than anyone.

tiny figures by PEJAC drawn as WELCOME in aberdeen to support marginalized people

WELCOME marginalized, discriminated people

The design reframes the potential of those who have been discriminated against, and in some sense stepped over by society, and presents them as united and proud. The artist echoes the pain and exhaustion of being stepped over by those who wield their powers, be it physical or verbal, unjustly and unreasonably. ‘From the outside a doormat. From the inside a multitude of stories,’ PEJAC writes. The occasion for this artistic intervention occurred in line with the Nuart Festival 2022 which took place between June 9th and 12th. The theme for this edition underscored the need to reconnect the city and its people, and PEJAC responded to it through his ‘WELCOME’ artwork.

close-up view