Thirty-three years ago today we lost one of England’s finest, Ian Curtis. Despite Joy Division’s short career and the singer’s tragically fleeting life, the influence of the post-punk pioneers is unmistakable. Curtis may have immortalized himself in the most devastating way possible, but fans across the world have done so through various tributes — like the street art we’ve gathered for your perusal. Fragments of the band’s album art and Curtis’ own somber image add a ghostly, poetic resonance to the urban milieux — and while we’re rather exhausted with the bazillion Unknown Pleasures copycats, we’ll gladly make an exception for these black-and-white sound waves on this day.
Photo credit: e_alnak
Batman meets Joy Division at Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France.
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How very dare the person who vandalized the girl in the Unknown Pleasures tee in London’s East End.
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More Joy Division in London’s East End.
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Image credit: D7606
A little bit like this.
Image credit: Maurice Bennett and Andrew “Kerb” Tamati Wright
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Part of the Ian Curtis Memorial Wall in Wellington, New Zealand.
Photo credit: dullhunk
An Unknown Pleasures tile mural by Mark Kennedy.
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Curtis smoking along the Rue Burdeau in France.
Image credit: Ludo and Peter Saville
French street artist Ludo’s Unknown Pleasures tribute.
Image credit: Steel
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Manchester, England street art that mimics Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel mural. God has been replaced with Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, flanked by Joy Division manager Rob Gretton and producer Martin Hannett, reaching out to Ian Curtis as Adam.
Photo credit: Jerome Coton
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Featuring the “Love Will Tear Us Apart” angel from the Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno (Staglieno Cemetery) in Italy. Street artist YZ painted the image on condemned Parisian Nightclub Les Bains.
Image credit: punkdaddy74
Curtis stencil on outdoor ceramic.
Image credit: Ema Cadar
Italian street artist Ema Cadar’s take on Unknown Pleasures.
Image credit: Victoria Lucas and Richard William Wheater
A neon, lyrical ode to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” on top of an artist workshop in West-Yorkshire, England.