Tag Archives: Bristol

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

 

 

 


London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Flashback – Banksy v. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery 2009

It was 5 years ago that Banksy took over Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for what was his biggest ever proper exhibition. With pre publicity consisting of an undignified scamble by TV stations to a hastily convened press conference the night before, this show took us first by surprise then by storm with attendance records smashed.

London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Banksy v. Bristol commoners

Banksy’s team worked over a three day period behind closed doors to install 100 pieces of Banksy paintings and sculpture, including a mock up of his studio.

London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Banksy Studio mock up (detail)

Not only was it the largest Banksy inside exhibition ever, it was also his most recent in the UK as we can safely exclude the Marks and Stencils Christmas 2010 group show in Soho, London. We are overdue another Banksy epic on these shores (we felt that in May 2009 too)!

London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Where Banksy drew the line

Banksy’s real coup was showing how even stuffy institutions could be transformed into a wildly popular public exhibition with a dash of humour and populism, the show was the biggest tourist attraction in the West Country for years and indeed since.

London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Enter via the 4 hour queue

Graffoto provided the best coverage at the time with both a review by NoLionsInEngland (moi) and an obsessive’s guide and record of the exhibits by Shellshock, my friend, co-blogger and author of the two famous Banksy Locations and Tours books.

London, street art, Bristol, Banksy, Exhibition, tour, walk, graffiti

Banksy Fat Tourist Rickshaw

LINKS:

Banksy v. Bristol Art Museum and Gallery Review

Banksy v. Bristol Art Museum and Gallery guide to exhbition

all photos: NoLionsinEngland


Very Nearly Almost Zine Launch Issue 26

Once a quarter a new edition of street art/urban art/illustration mag VNA hits the streets and excitement is unrestrained.  The launch is heralded by not one but two launch parties.  Thursday 22nd May sees a launch at Lazarides Outsiders Gallery on Greek St, Soho then on Saturday the festivities move to Weapons Of Choice Gallery in Bristol.

VNA25_launch-party_LDN

 

Cover artist for Issue 26 is multi talented Robert “3D” del Naja, artist and musician with Bristol’s seminal Massive Attack (my cue to put Heligoland on the hi fi right now).  The magazine comes in four versions including a glitter sprinkled limited edition featuring a heavyweight cotton tote bag, featuring one of 3D’s iconic knife and fork prints, and some tasty postcards of his work.

Very Nearly Almost Zine Launch Issue 26

Cover 2

Facebook event pages for the two launches are available here:

Bristol Launch – Weapon Of Choice Gallery – Saturday 24th May – 6-9pm www.facebook.com/events/672665359467071

London Launch – The Outsiders – Thursday 22nd May – 6-9pm – www.facebook.com/events/456982974436187

Having read the Robert del Naja and Aida interviews we can say that VNA’s impeccable coverage of the scene is sustained through this issue.  Artists featured in this issue include Numskull (Aus), Augustine Kolfie (LA), Calma (Brazil), Buff Monster (NY via LA), Katrin Fridriks (Iceland), Greg Lamarche (NY), Ernest Zacharevic (Lit), TenTen (Poland), truly an international roster of the highest pedigree.   VNA issue 26 also contains the usual slew of great photographs from Mark Rigney, Paul Grey, Claude Crommelin and (cough) NoLionsInEngland, as well as Chasing Ghosts’s photo feature on stickers and street art from Singapore.

Very Nearly Almost Zine Launch Issue 26

Both Covers

Cruise the party, get the mag.  VNA Issue 26 is here, details of an online lottery to get the ridiculously cheap special limited edition are due to be announced by VNA shortly.

VNA Bristol Launch

VNA Bristol Launch