My Year in Street Art 2017

My Year in Street Art 2017

Yes, lets time travel back 2 years and complete this post which I started but never finished due to a bereavement. I was also experiencing eye trouble and had to reduce my online time which prevented me from blogging this year. My apologies and thanks for still reading this blog. Welcome if you’re new.  🙂

It was a good year for paint jams and festivals: a full 3 days of indulgence at Upfest down in Bristol, the excellent annual Meeting of Styles in Shoreditch, plus two indoor jams with London Calling Blog. But a sad year for the loss of spots in East London and Camden due to gentrification nearing completion. That means they take the hoardings down!

January 2017

The year started on a high at an indoor paint jam in Soho, invitation only, to London Calling Blog’s Brokedown Palace Paint jam. This was a celebration of 2 years of blogging about street art and graffiti. If you want to research the scene, London Calling blog is the place to go for excellent coverage and photos.

I was also immortalised by pen and ink artist Lis Watkins in her sketch book.

 

Artist Olivier Roubieu used wall and pillars to create this optical illusion known as an anamorphic image. Skeleton by The Skeleton Cardboard.(photographed 8th January 2017)

 

Artists: Artista (flying toasts), with the Gums & Tongue crew (Tony Boy, Dankoh and The Real Dill). (photographed 8th January 2017)

 

Artist Lis Watkins (@lineandwash) was sketching throughout the 2 day jam. (photographed 9th January 2017)

I loved this soulful mural from Italian artist Vera Bugatti which appeared near Old Street. It lasted for over 6 months but now this spot is lost to adverts!

 

Teratology by Vera Bugatti . It means the abnormalities of physiological development. Clerkenwell, London. (photographed 30th January 2017)

February 2017

Brick Lane Area. Pang painted this wall on Hanbury Street. I love her surreal imagery.
Sadly, Amara Por Dios decided to return to Sweden and she painted her last wall in Star Yard.  Jim Vision worked hard to keep the art vibe going with a number of top political works.  Soho Area: Satirical stencil artist Loretto was hard at work.

 

Artist: Pang. Hanbury Road, Shoreditch, London. (photographed 27th February 2017)

 

Artist: Amara Por Dios. Final mural in East London, Star Yard, painted in February 2017. This spot is now hidden behind a tin hut. (photographed 2 April 2017)

 

Artist: Lorretto at work in Soho. I never managed to capture the finished work. But I spotted many others over coming months. (photographed 6th February 2017)

 

Fall of Empire by Jim Vision. This is a section of a long panoramic mural which runs nearly the length of Holywell Lane, Shoreditch. (photographed 16th March 2017)

 

March 2017

Lucid Dreaming by Himbad was on at BSMT Space in Dalston. 24 minature works of delight and mischief.  Exit from Aden by Alo, a 2nd solo show at Saatchi was also magnificent. Two of my all time favourite artists showing in the same month. Almost too much excitement.

Shoreditch landmark, ROA’s hedgehog, painted in 2012, gets tagged from time to time. Jim Vision cleaned up the tags and added some Native Americans to protect it. I also went to South London, to Croydon to see work from London Calling Blog’s second jam of that year, Any Colour You Like.

 

Gallerist Greg Key hanging work for artist Himbad‘s show Lucid Dreaming at BSMT Space Gallery. Plus 3 works from the show. From top to bottom: Til Dawn I Sleep, Transmutation and (photographed 9th March 2017)

 

The opening night of Exit From Aden by Alo at Saatchi gallery. (photographed 16th March 2017)

 

The ROA Hedgehog in Shoreditch with additional defenders from graff tags – Native Americans – by Jim Vision. Triangle sign by Nathan Bowen  (photographed 16th March 2017)

 

Croydon – new art work from a paint jam organised by London Calling Blog in February. Artists from L to R: Ali Hamish, Tom Blackford, Elno, Aspire, Airborne Mark, Olivier Roubieu, Giusi Tomasello, Woskerski, Sr.X  (photographed 18th March 2017)

April 2017

Portraits were the flavour of this month. Two distinctive but very different artists painted some major works. Ant Carver took over the Shoreditch Art Wall.  And Dreph began his series entitled You Are Enough to celebrate influential black women with his portrait of Holly Diana May Oluwo on Commerical Street.

Hackney Road has lost many of its spots but two buzzed again. Zabou and Koel painted the shutter of Fiorelli Shoes. It was the last work before being renovated. And Alex Senna visited from Brazil to paint the end wall near Ion Square. This tied in with his solo show The Nada at Unit 5 Gallery nearby.   Austrian artist HNRX was manically painting new work everywhere.

I also loved the East End Mob show at BSMT Space which featured 12 the artists who were part of East London Scene in the early days including Mighty Mo, Rowdy, Sweet Toof, DScreet, Tizer and Vinnie Nylon.

Artist: Ant Carver. Shoreditch Art Wall, London. (photographed 2nd April 2017)

 

Artist: Dreph. Portrait of Holly Diana May Oluwo. Series “You Are Enough”. Commercial Road, London. (photographed 2nd April 2017)

 

Artists: Zabou (face) and Koel (headscarf) collab. Hackney Road, London. (photographed 2nd April 2017)

 

Artist: Alex Senna. Hackney Road, London. (photographed 21st April 2017)

 

May 2017

A quiet month for me in terms of taking photos. But I did spot four new miniatures from C215 (artist Christian Guémy) around Brick Lane painted for his solo show at Stolen Space.

 

Artist: Christian Guemy C215. These 4 portraits were painted around Brick Lane. (photographed 12th May 2017)

June 2017

In June, south of the river was the place to be; for the Brockley Street Art Festival and a tour of the Penge streetart scene. SprayExhibition20 (a clever use of the Penge postcode SE20) is a series of new street art and graffiti curated by London Calling Blog. And thanks to the Overground, its so easy to get there!

Artists of note: Dreph was producing more magnificent portraits in his series You Are Enough. And Loretto was throwing up more satirical stencils in Soho.

Hello by Koe One for Brockley Street Art Festival. (Photographed 10th June 2017)

 

Admiring work from HRNX (giant shrimp), and This One’s Art on the Penge street art tour. (Photographed 25th June 2017)

 

Portrait of Mimi Fresh by Dreph for his series You Are Enough. Penge. (Photographed 25th June 2017)

 

D-evolution by Loretto, Soho, London. (Photographed 22nd June 2017)

July 2017.

Festival Time: The month kicked off in Shoreditch with Meeting of Styles, run by the excellent team End of the Line. Their giant wall collaboration was fan-bloody-tastic. And introduced me to Danish artist Baelstrom who was part of that collab. And I discovered who had painted a distinctive yellow and black image which I had loved in Leake Street (Nov 2016), artist, Maikel Walkman.  And three days of Upfest in Bristol was stupendous, awesome, and beyond words. While I was there I also saw some preserved walls from street art legends, Stink Fish, Rowdy and of course Banksy!

Back in Shoreditch, the Village Underground wall hosted a moving tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy which happened on the 14th June. It was painted by Ben Eine with words by Ben Okri.

Artists: Dr Zadok, Jim Vision, Neist, Xenz, Baelstrom and Twesh. Meeting of Styles, Nomadic Community Gardens, Shoreditch. (Photographed 25th July 2017)

 

Artist: Maikel Walkman for Meeting of Styles. (Photographed 2nd July 2017)

 

Artist: Kobra painting at Upfest in Bristol. (Photographed 29th July 2017)

 

Artist Ben Eine and words by Poet Ben Okri. (Photographed 25th July 2017)

August 2017

Elephants popped up all over London, thanks to a visit from South African artist Falko. He even added a cute baby elephant to an iconic work from Stik off Brick Lane.  Its now been removed.  Nick Flatt and Paul Punk visited from Germany and painted a really cool abstract work on Sclater Street, Shoreditch. And over in Hackney Wick, the Gums and Tongue Crew had a jam on Fish Island. Will that be their final one as the apartment blocks colonise the area?

Artists: Stik (the couple) and Falco (baby elephant). (Photographed 18th August 2017)

 

Artists: Nick Flatt and Paul Punk. On facing wall is a Himbad and graffiti from Fours. (Photographed 23rd August 2017)

September 2017

Two more top exhibitions. Portraits in Transit by StinkFish at the BSMTSpace. And Sad But Happy by Herakut at Stolen Space.  I didn’t know the work of this German duo Herakut but I was so moved by their work. Their concept is that we’re living is frightening times but we can remain happy with our private fantasies.

Banksy painted a new work! In support of the Barbican exhibition of work by the legendary graffiti artist from 80s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat. So pleased that I managed to see the Banksy before it became enshrined under perspex.

Jim Vision painted another top political mural on Hollywell Lane.  And London Calling Blog organised a 2nd paint indoor jam in Soho.

Artist: StinkFish painting a wall to promote his solo show Portraits in Transit. (Photographed 15th Sept 2017)

 

Artists: Herakut. Sad but Happy at Stolen Space. (Photographed 15th September 2017)

 

Artists: Banksy, Danny Minnick. (Photographed 19th September 2017)

October 2017

The Moniker International Art Fair contained a glut of excellent art. I particularly loved work by Dulk1 and Jaune Art.

And I had another treasure hunt, on Fish Island, Hackney Wick, tracking down 21 miniature paste-ups by Pablo Delgado!  3 blissful days of sleuthing which I blogged about too.

On Curtain Road, Shoreditch, was the unveiling an old but now restored work by Banksy, The Snorting Copper, painted in 2005.  This had been discovered during a renovation and was restored by the new owners of the building and put on display for us to enjoy.

The entrance to the Moniker International Art Fair, London. (Photographed 5th October 2017)

 

Artist: Dulk painted the Pedley St wall, off Brick Lane. (Photographed 5th October 2017)

 

Artists: Jaune Art (workmen) and Noriaki (one eyed creature). (Photographed 5th October 2017)

 

Artist: Pablo Delgado. (Photographed 22nd October 2017)

 

The Snorting Copper by Banksy (Photographed 17th November 2017)

 

November 2017

A sad month indeed for Shoreditch street art. We finally lost the ROA hedgehog on Chance Street.  This work by Darren John replaced it. And now the wall is given over to adverts!  RIP, the ROA Hedgehog (2012 – 2017).

Over on Fournier Street, Shok-1 painted an extraordinary piece  for Remembrance Day.

On a positive note, I finally got to see Carleen De Sozeer’s extraordinary work celebrating Hip-hop over in Dalston.

Artist: Darren John. (Photographed 17th November 2017)

 

Artist: Shok-1.  (Photographed 17th November 2017)

 

Artist: Carleen De Sozer. (Photographed 6th November 2017)

 

December 2017

The year ended with three more exhibitions: Brexmas, a group show at the Crows Nest Gallery in West London.  Cut and Run by Sweet Toof and Swedish writer Rolfcarlwerner at BSMT Space.  And on New Year’s Eve, I squeezed in Street Art Fans at the Fan Museum in Greenwich.  That final show was fun but weird to see such familiar work beautifully transposed onto fans.

Group show Brexmas, Crows Nest Gallery, W10. Artists: Flee Jones (pulsing heart), Oneslutriot (rear wall), Dotmasters, Katrina Rupit (wall right). With support from Artcore. (Photographed 9th December 2017)

 

Artists: Sweet Toof and Rolfcarlwerner, Dalston. (Photographed 23rd December 2017)

 

Street Art Fans at the Fan Museum, Greenwich. Audrey Hepburn portrait by Pure Evil. 2nd portrait by Zabou. (Photographed 31st December 2017)

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I’ve had so many ideas for posts in 2018 but ill-health mostly prevented me from writing them. I’m working on my 2018 round-up. And I plan more posts for 2019.  I wish you all a very Happy New Year.