Tag: London

1937. Shoreditch, London (17)

My fondest discovery from my November trip to Shoreditch was dozens of these unusual and fabulous wheatpastes by Sten and Oli. There were so many, that they will keep me busy for some time to come. These paste ups were the first three I found by this talented partnership.

A monkey skeleton with an Idiot crown…

Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

A rather sad-looking character mask positioned over a faint portrait…

Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

A curious rabbit kind of thing with button eyes…

Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

All three pieces are full of imagination and curiosity. Positioned quite low down on walls, these beautiful wheatpastes are missed by many going about their busy lives. Their loss. Regulars will know that I am a sucker for wheatpastes, and ones such as these tick all my boxes.

1935. Shoreditch, London (15)

The whole idea behind posting pieces from Shoreditch is that I am under no obligation to write too much about the artists, because they are mostly off my radar. I am finding, however, that it is very difficult not to do any research at all. Nether410 is from Baltimore, and it would seem that he had made a recent trip to London and left a few stunning pieces, including this one.

Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

This piece is a portrait of Charlie Burns who was the founder of the local business here, who I am guessing also had connections to the world of boxing. It is an outstandingly beautiful portrait full of character and expression. Wow…we simply need to get Nether410 to Bristol some time.

1936. Shoreditch, London (16)

I think I timed my November trip to Shoreditch really well as it seemed that there were a whole load of fairly recent pieces, one of which is this extraordinary chrome rabbit underlit with pink light by Fanakapan. Better know for his helium balloon-style paintings, Fanakapan has in this instance gone for a solid chrome piece and shares some techniques with artists such as Bonsai.

Fanakapan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Fanakapan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

At first when I saw this I wasn’t entirely sure it was by Fanakapan, because it is a bit different from other pieces I have seen by him. The face of the rabbit is brilliantly worked and as for the neon crown…doers it get any better than this?

1934. Shoreditch, London (14)

A magnificent celebration of the written word by Nomad Clan, depicting a letter and a pigeon, both methods of carrying written messages, to align with the theme of this large wall in Shoreditch on ‘connectivity’.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I am a huge fan of this talented duo, who have visited Bristol for Upfest in each of the last two years. This is a masterful work with many elements to focus on, but it is the feathers on the right hand side of the piece that I find most appealing…they have such a lightness about them.

Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nomad Clan, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

Nomad Clan are known for their big walls and this one is big. Their concepts and ideas are so beautifully illustrated with a softness of tone that many artists appear to struggle with. I was very happy to find this piece.

1933. Shoreditch, London (13)

Bonzai is yet another artist I am unfamiliar with, but what a pleasure it was to discover him for the first time. This was one of two recent pieces, as described by the brilliant London Calling blog.

Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Bonzai, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

The effect of molten chrome is simply outstanding, and yet if you look at the piece carefully is reasonably simply constructed with colours that trick your eyes. I absolutely love this kind of work and will definitely be on the look out for more from this artist on future London trips.

1932. Shoreditch, London (12)

I have seen so much of his work on the Interweb, but I think this is the first piece by C215 that I have seen in the flesh. I don’t think it is a particularly new piece, but being only an occasional visitor to Shoreditch, it is new to me.

C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018
C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018

There is so much to like about his work, with the simple lines and scatter of colours combining to give an astonishingly clear portrait. The style has some similarities with the work of Dzia, where the constituent elements combine magnificently to create a perfect whole. Love this piece.

1931. Shoreditch, London (11)

This is the first of several more Shoreditch pieces from my visit there back in November to see the old year out and the new one in. What joy to spot this trio of Madonna stencils by the flamboyant and vibrant Pegasus, whose work has appeared in Natural Adventures a few times over the last four years.

Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Pegasus, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

These images capture Madonna beautifully, in what looks like her Desperately Seeking Susan period, sporting crosses on her ears and large quantities of bangles. It is interesting to note that in the two right hand side stencils, there are extra squares obscuring part of the piece, this in addition to the colour changes leaves us with three different stencils together. Lovely piece.

Thursday doors

Doors 55

Just a quick selection of graffiti/street art doors from a recent trip to Shoreditch in London. Enjoy!

Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018
Shoreditch Door, London, November 2018

by Scooj

Loads more amazing doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0

1892. Shoreditch, London (10)

In a little side street/yard off Brick Lane there is a derelict area which is a bit of a street art oasis. On the passageway into the area is this magnificent piece by Envol, which is quite different from anything else there.

Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I have come across Envol a couple of times at Upfest in Bristol, so it was great to see something by him outside of the festival context. His highly designed ‘classical’ pieces are simply presented but nicely framed with strong shapes and colours.

Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Envol, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

When I first saw this piece I thought it had been dogged at the base of the skull, but on closer inspection and a quick squint at the Artist’s Instagram it seems that this is a deliberate technique that he adopts from time to time. It is a good feeling once again to stumble upon art in unfamiliar surroundings that I am familiar with.

1891. Shoreditch, London (9)

I really did get lucky on my recent trip to Shoreditch with fresh pieces, and this is a lovely new one from Osch. The artist is known for two main presentations of his art, this theme of orange circles with silhouetted scenes, usually with a clever take, and his characters (often animals) created from ribbons (not real ribbons you understand).

Osch, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Osch, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

In this piece it seems the crows are having some kind of revenge moment as a drone is contained within a cage. This is a thoughtful and distinctive piece and so wonderfully crisp, sharp and fresh. I love his work…I think he needs to come to Bristol again.

Osch, the Stables, Camden Town, September 2016
Osch, the Stables, Camden Town, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016
Osch, Hawley Street, Camden, September 2016