It is not so long ago that I hadn’t come across Osch. Now it seems he is popping up in my blog rather regularly. This is another in his series of orange/yellow circles with a scene going on inside. This particular piece incorporates another of his trademark styles, which is to have an unfurling ribbon effect.
I like this piece for several reasons, but particularly for its location and subject that reflect the adjacent tourist shop.
I thought I’d try something a bit different, inspired by some lovely poetry I read here. This is the first poem I have written since school (other than Haiku). Be gentle.
Cousins
So different were we,
I from London and you from Leeds.
I remember one time
when we went out walking,
you pointed up to the sky and cried
‘eh up, there’s kite’
I didn’t know what you had said at first.
We are not so different now
you and I,
our age has smoothed out our differences
our age has brought us closer
it is our age that now defines us.
by Scooj
.
Pasty faces and
an absence of eye contact;
packed in like sardines.
.
by Scooj
Working two days a week in London has given me the opportunity to see some incredible street art in and around Shoreditch and Camden Town. It is interesting that the assemblage and style of art is really quite different to that in Bristol. In Shoreditch, for example, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of paste ups, many more than you would see in Bristol. In London, there are also pieces by artists who would only ever visit Bristol for Upfest, but spray all over the place in their home City. One such artist is the incredible Shok 1 whose unicorn skull in Bristol is a memorable piece.
Here in Shoreditch we find a humorous piece by Shok 1. The ‘two fingered salute’ from an x-ray hand is quite brilliant. His style is so unique, that even the most unobservant viewer would be able to recognise his work.
Finding this piece was really exciting, especially as I don’t know my way around the Shoreditch ‘hotspots’ the way I do in Bristol, so pretty much everything is an unexpected surprise. To find this was thrilling.
During my strolls around the Shoreditch area, I have come across several of these striking pieces by Osch (Otto Schade). Instantly recognisable with their trademark yellow/orange centre and silhouetted scene, often funny or political in nature. This one highlights a pole dancer and CCTV camera watching her.
Osch, originally from Chile, trained as an architect but is equally at home with his art, which is inspired by the Surrealists. He now lives and works in London, where many of his fine works can be seen.
Osch’s work has another distinct style in which he creates figures or scenes out of long strips of ‘material’, reminiscent of Egyptian mummies unraveling. More on this in my next post. I haven’t seen any of his work in Bristol yet, but am hoping he will visit sometime…it is only a couple of hours away after all.
I think it is safe to say that Roa must make it into most street art/graffiti art enthusiasts’ top ten, particularly those interested in wildlife and nature. On my latest work trip to London, I had another overnight stay and took advantage by finding a hotel not too far from Shoreditch.
I walked towards Brick Lane and found this wonderful, enormous hedgehog. Roa’s work is almost always in black and white tones and is picked out especially well on brickwork. The style is unmistakable and unique, sometimes a difficult thing to achieve in a crowded and growing scene.
When I was a youth, hedgehogs were abundant, so much so that they were very regular victims of road kill, even in cities. I even used to feed a family of them in my London back garden. Now alas, they are very much in decline. In fact this Roa depiction is the only hedgehog I have seen for about twenty years. It is a wonderful reminder of the splendour of this little creature. Thank you Roa.
Strolling through Shoreditch
shutter working overtime
utterly vibrant.
by Scooj
I couldn’t resist sneaking this wonderful stencil by Unify in during this ‘Upfest lull’. One of my earliest posts was a Unify piece in Bristol, that is as fresh today as the day it was sprayed. I have looked for other pieces by him, but found nothing in Bristol. In London however, his hometown, I have found some of his work.
This amazing piece that I recall seeing on digital media a little while ago, is obviously a commentary on immigration and probably the Brexit referendum. It is a powerful bit of street art.
This piece sits quietly next to the wonderful Mr Cenz and Fanakapan pieces that I recently posted here. More to come from Unify soon.
There are few things more satisfying than wandering aimlessly around streets you have never walked down before and revelling in the architecture, bustle, characters and of course the street art. On one such recent walk I found this beauty. A stunning portrait by James Cochran or aka Jimmy C.
Aka Jimmy C grew up in Australia and studied visual arts at the University of South Australia before moving to London where he lives now. His very distinctive aerosol pointillist style reminds me of the post-impressionists like Van Gogh or Seurat.
There is always something very special that happens when fine art and graffiti fuse. Another example might be Bristol’s Tom Miller. This particular piece was painted back in 2011 but still looks so very fresh. A great work.
I daren’t look at the
person next to me…to look
as if I’m looking.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 