Painted Welcome Mat Bring Message of Inclusion to Aberdeen

Welcome Mat Is Made of Hundreds of Tiny Painted Figures

Photo: Pejac

Spanish street artist Pejac is known for his clever, masterful open-air artworks that often come with a social message. His latest work, located in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a clever take on the concept of a common household item. For his latest piece, aptly titled Welcome, Pejac painted hundreds of miniature people coming together to form a welcome mat. The beautiful illusion comes together perfectly and it is meant to symbolize, according to the artist, that people are “tired of being stepped over.”

Produced for the NuArt Aberdeen Festival, Pejac's meaningful artwork is strategically placed in front of a building in the city center. The building hosts several charities, as well as housing for vulnerable locals facing social exclusion. As such, it was the perfect location for Pejac to spread an important message.

Through this work, the Spanish artist hopes that people will have more understanding and empathy for those living on the margins of society. It's these people who truly know and can appreciate the value of an open heart and a heartfelt welcome. They also know that coming together gives them strength and that through their unity, they will no longer be “stepped over.”

“Welcome is more than just a doormat on a Scottish doorstep,” the artist writes on Instagram. “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. Created for all those who feel themselves marginalized, foreign, and discriminated against, this agglomeration turned into a doormat greets anyone who wishes to be welcomed.”