Monthly Archives: December 2016

London, Shoreditch, Street art, tours, Stik, 3some, threesome, trio, stick figures, legal, free, uncovered, released

It’s A Stik Up

Stik’s three Shoreditch characters have been hidden away more or less since the week they were created, trapped under a sludge of canvas corporate adverts but with a leap and a bound suddenly they are free just in time for Christmas.  This is great news for the legions of Stik fans who are aware of this Stik but have not had the chance to see it.

London, Shoreditch, Street art, tours, Stik, 3some, threesome, trio, stick figures, legal, free, uncovered, released

Stik – likes a threesome

Stik has been freed for Christmas (perhaps) but don’t hang around, who knows how long it will remain uncovered before the next massive invasion of our eyeballs by a landscape hogging advert.

In September video was released on the Guardian website which features not only the painting of this mural but also the personal quest Stik embarked upon to establish what emotional traits this trio of Shoreditch characters should portray.  This is a fascinating video which touches on many issues affecting Shoreditch including homelessness and gentrification. Please be aware there is an interview insert in which a quite distasteful anecdote is told.  Although this video is hosted on the publicly accessible website of a hugely respectable quality newspaper, I must leave to you judge for yourselves the suitability of viewing the video on the Guardian website.

photos: Dave Stuart

 


London, Street Art, Tour, Walk, Space Invader, Reactivation, UK Reactivation Team, Art4Space, mosaic

Space Invader Strikes Back!

In our regular street art updates we have talked a couple of times about disappeared ancient Space Invaders reappearing, the so called “Reactivation”.   We were very lucky to secure the first ever interview with the UK Reactivation Team, check my other blog to see how and why these passionate extra terrestrial art restorers are doing what they do.

London, Street Art, Tour, Walk, Space Invader, Reactivation, UK Reactivation Team, Art4Space, mosaic

LDN_058 Reactivated

Bonus news – back in 2012 I was fortunate to be in a select audience for a one evening only private showing in a London hotel of a 24 minute documentary made by Space Invader.  It was an exciting little movie about his attempt to send one of his Invaders into space and film the result.  This week Invader has finally released the documentary to the public and it is very interesting.

Photos: Dave Stuart

Video: Space Invader


Artist, Street art, charity, auction, Phillips, Stik, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, Magpie Social Centre, Bristol

Stik Street Art Auction

A piece of street art by ever popular London street artist Stik is to be auctioned tomorrow at Phillips, London with Stik’s blessing.

From a message issued by Stik:

30 Nov 2016: Street Artist Stik has agreed to authenticate and approve the sale of a street art piece he once painted on the front of the Magpie Social Centre in Bristol. This piece appeared in 2009 on the front wall of the not-for-profit social centre which was evicted earlier this year and is currently looking for a new premises.

Artist, Street art, charity, auction, Phillips, Stik, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, Magpie Social Centre, Bristol

Magpie – Stik, photo via Stik

Stik states: “The Magpie Social Centre was one of the free spaces that actively encouraged street art and helped me to become the artist I am today. I don’t generally approve of the sale of street pieces but here I will make an exception. It gives me great pleasure to authenticate this piece so that Magpie can continue to support the next generation of artists.”

Stik only authenticates street artworks when all proceeds benefit the community they were painted for. The artist was approached by the community centre earlier this year and helped set up the sale with London auction house Phillips. The piece titled ‘Magpie’ has been preserved, framed and logged and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

End message quote

 

The following news arrived In a later message which came in today:

Stik met with the director of Magpie Project Space this week to authenticate the fundraiser sale on Thursday 8th December at Phillips Auction. Seen here at the private view the sale is expected to raise enough funds to rehouse the community centre.

Artist, Street art, charity, auction, Phillips, Stik, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, Magpie Social Centre, Bristol

Stik with Natty Lee form Magpie Social Centre at Phillips Auction Private view. Photo via Stik

Details of the piece are:

STIK – Magpie

Lot 90,

Phillips New Now London Auction
8 December 2016

Signed, dated and authenticated ‘STIK 2009 2016’ on the reverse. Spray paint on wood, in artist’s frame.
139 x 29.8 cm (54 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)

Executed in 2009. This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the artist’s studio.

Estimate £8,000 – 12,000

To participate in this rare opportunity to acquire an authenticated street piece:

Contact Specialist
Simon Tovey
Head of Sale
+44 20 7318 4084

or check online HERE

It’s not so easy to see from the photo of the Magpie Social Centre that the Stik piece being auctioned is one of the pieces visible on the Magpie wall but here is a photo I took back in 2010 which shows the same piece much more clearly.

Artist, Street art, charity, auction, Phillips, Stik, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, Magpie Social Centre, Bristol

Stik at Magpie, photo Dave Stuart

 

On the surface it feels like this has a lot of similarities with the famous case in Bristol where Banksy’s Mobile Lovers was removed by the proprietor of the Riverside Boys Club and which ultimately led to Banksy authenticating the street piece and using language very similar to Stik’s to confirm that he was ok with it being sold as a fund raiser for the Boy’s Club. The clear difference is that while Banksy’s Mobile Lover was almost certainly done without permission, Stik is likely to have had the blessing of the Magpie Social Centre to create his work.

all photos via Stik except Dave Stuart where noted