Monthly Archives: September 2019

Banksy Painting at Sothebys

Banksy’s most spectacular painting to date is on display at Sotheby’s Bond St, London HQ and beautifully staged it is too.

Devolved Parliament is being auction this week when London opens its galleries, museums and park tents to an international art fair. This painting first appeared in public in 2009 when with staggering panache and secrecy, traditionally mutually exclusive features, Banksy took over the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for his largest show. The show was brilliant, our fanboy tribute/review appeared on the Graffoto blog here.

Banksy, Sothebys, Devolved Parliament, Question TIme, painting, street art, tour, Bristol Museaum and Art Gallery

Banksy v Bristol Museum and Art Gallery 2009

This painting was at that time called “Question Time” and it was a nightmare to view and photograph with the lighting and the crowds.

Banksy, Sothebys, Devolved Parliament, Question TIme, painting, street art, tour

Banksy Question Time (photo 2009)

This time the lighting is awesome and the staging is superb with it set up to look like the House of Commons benches extend into the room, I am sure there will be lots of selfies coming out of that space this weekend.

Banksy Devolved Parliament (photo 2019)

The painting is being hyped up to set a new Banksy record. The last time the hyperbole reached such feverish levels was exactly year ago in, guess where, Sothebys! It was that infamous Girl With Ballon/Love Is In The Bin shredding stunt. Remind yourself of that moment that made Banksy the best known living contemporary artist at the moment/in history/today (nuff hype).

London, street art, urban art, banksy, girl with balloon, Sothebys, auction, shred, shredding,

“Love Is In The Bin”, Banksy, 2018

This Banksy is identified in Sotheby’s catalogue quite categorically as the one that was exhibited in Bristol in 2009 but there have been a few subtle tweaks. The lights in the chamber have gone out, much like our hopes of a proper orderly outcome to the political farce currently playing out daily in this sceptic isle.

Banksy Devolved Parliament detail (photo 2019)

Also, in 2009 we had a Labour (sort of leftish) Government led by Tony Blair and in the 2009 “Question Time” on the then labour benches which are to the left as you look at those photos, there was a chimpanzee holding a tumescent banana which curved upwards. The catalogue notes that the present owner acquired this painting from the artist in 2011, by which time we had a coalition Conservative/Lib Dem (fairly “right” though nothing like as rightwing as now), Banksy had reworked that banana so that it droops, it curved downwards.

Banksy Question Time detail (photo 2009)

Banksy Devolved Parliament detail (photo 2019)

Just one more thing, the catalogue informs us that the painting comes “from an important private collection” – apart from what it says about Banksy’s direct sales client base, vague bollocks like that truly marks the art world clambering up its own self important fundament!

Viewing:

Sothebys, 34-35 New Bond St, Mayfair, London W1S 2RT

SAT, 28 SEP 19 | 12:00 PM – 05:00 PM BST

SUN, 29 SEP 19 | 12:00 PM – 05:00 PM BST

MON, 30 SEP 19 | 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM BST

TUE, 01 OCT 19 | 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM BST

WED, 02 OCT 19 | 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM BST

THU, 03 OCT 19 | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM BST

Links:

Girl With Balloon/Love Is In The Air review on Graffoto

Banksy v. Bristol Museum and Art gallery, 2009 on Graffoto

Banksy website

All photos: Dave Stuart

Graffestival – Spraycan Art At The Community Gardens This Weekend

Graffestival, a huge spraycan art festival at the Nomadic Community Gardens and surroundings areas just off Brick Lane is happening this weekend. Painting started today with a frantic burst of wall preparations, rollers, hoists, cans, renewing old acquaintances, sharing beers and gossip, chilling in the glorious sunshine, nodding to heavy beats and drinking red stripe. With thanks to the artists whose consent we obtained for photos and apologies to those that we didn’t get the chance to interrupt, here are walls, shadow, marks and work in progress. The festival continues tomorrow (Sunday 22nd).

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All photos: Dave Stuart

Shoreditch – So Much To Do

It has been a long time since we did this but the dance card for the next few days is chock full of fantastic events you might consider adding to your diary.

The ever brilliant BSMT Gallery in Dalston marked its re-opening last week in better premises with a group show called Dystopia dedicated to Extinction Rebellion. Tonight Wednesday 18^th September BSMT hosts the first of a series of related workshops. Following a talk about the mission of Extinction Rebellion there will be an introductory workshop in regenerative culture, which will discuss and provide some of the tools and approaches one can use to maintain one’s physical and psychological well-being in the face climate catastrophe. A specialist in this field from Extinction Rebellion will lead the workshop.

Shoreditch, Urbanart, streetart, shows, gelleries, extinction rebellion, End Of THe Line, NomadicCommunityGardens

Extinction Rebelion at BSMT, Photo courtesy BSMT Space

You will also get to see an exciting collection of urban art including some amazing bronze castings by Jonesy

Jonesy

Thursday is packed. Subdude has his first solo show at the atmospheric Monty’s Bar and I hear he is premiering a range of new previously unseen political lightning bolts.

Subdude Wall Of Fame!

Up in Hoxton Donk, Rider and Skeleton Cardboard join forces for ”Dream Bigger Better Wierder” at Wellhung Gallery.

Rider/Donk collabs above, Skelly below

Anna Laurini has a stunning show at The Old Bank Vault, 243 Hackney Road and Thursday is a late evening opening.

Anna Laurini, Old Bank Vault

Finally, the big one this weekend is the Graffestival at the Nomadic Community Gardens, organised by Jim Vision/End Of The Line. Two “flyers” for this, one being an absolutely stellar collection of spraycan artists from the graff and street art spheres, the second is the music. This is likely to be the last major spraycan event at this location which has hosted numerous editions of the brilliant Meeting of Styles under same management. We here the feature wall is going to be something very special for signing off from this spot.

Nomadic Community Gardens, Hayley, Roving Cafe – we loved you so much!

Graffestival artists lineup, nomadic Community Gardens

Graffestival music lineup, nomadic Community Gardens

Lest we forget, London Design Festival LDF19 runs until the 22nd of September and there is so much of this located in the Shoreditch area, my fav (so far) has to be this Lee Broom installation which is yards from where our street art tours end

London Design Festival, LDF19, Lee Broom, installation, mirrors

Lee Broom installation, LDF19

There ya go, don’t say nothing ever happens.

photos: Dave Stuart except Graffestival and BSMT flyers courtesy respective organisations

Autumn Leaves – Street Art Announces change of season

This week saw knobbly knees being tucked into jeans for the first time in about 3 months, Summer is definitely over and Autumn brings with it a fresh leaf fall. This leaf is courtesy of Sean Worrall and it is a gorgeous specimen from his #artdrops project.

Suzanne from LA was the lucky person who retrieved this from the wall – just, tip toes required!

This particular leaf is number 11 of the 2019 #artdrops series. We love the Extinction Symbol in support of Extinction Rebellion on the back.

On his Facebook page Sean says:

“43 paintings [] will make up the month-long #43Leaves piece. 43 paintings on found recycled unwanted material picked up off the streets. Material picked up, cleaned up, painted on and then left hanging back out on the street for people to just take should they wish to”.

Thank you Sean for your characteristic generosity of spirit.

Nice to know another one of Sean’s leafs is taking up residence in a location far far away. Sean’s free art #artdrops have featured on the Shoreditch Street Art Tours blog quite frequently in the past, check them out here

Links:

Sean Worrall website

Sean Worrall Facebook

All photographs Dave Stuart