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
A rather sad-looking character mask positioned over a faint portrait…
Sten and Oli, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
A curious rabbit kind of thing with button eyes…
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.
Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018
It would seem that just before Christmas, all my Christmases did actually come at once, which is a rare occurrence.
On my way to work I walk past City Hall, and on one of my last days in the office before the Christmas break, something caught my eye on the long ramps outside the front of the building. That something was not one or two, but several framed doors, each one painted by artists from Bristol.
Naturally I had to take a closer look and of course some photographs. Imagine how I was feeling…doors and street art combined and laid out neatly right next to where I work. I was in heaven.
The only thing missing was any kind of explanation, and it wasn’t until writing this post that I found out what this exhibition was about (Christmas got in the way a little bit).
The exhibition ‘A Year Outdoors‘ was conceived by artist Beau as a way of raising awareness of the pressing issue of homelessness, and these doors were created as a metaphor to challenge austerity cuts. I felt a small whiff of irony that it was the local authority who were hosting the exhibition, perhaps that’s why there weren’t any interpretation boards explaining what the doors were all about.
The doors have been packed away now, but they will be going on tour around the UK and to the United States.
So here they are:
Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Alex Lucas, Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Alex Lucas, Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018Street art door, A Year Outdoors, Bristol, December 2018
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
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.
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
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?
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
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 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.
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
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.
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
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.
Natural adventures 