The 3rd edition of the London International Pasteup Festival was a magnificent, colourful, creative and chaotic success. Following an open call art came from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, USA, Jordan, Greece, Uruguay and Preston to name just a few places that aren’t London.
The art included every imaginable format capable of being pasted up with the LIPF special blend of wallpaper paste and PVA.
Soandso PDX, with Vegan Flava (Swe) and others
All Cops Are Clowns says Yo Pecador, spraypaint, single layer stencil on party tablecloth paper
In several spots the pasteup crew met with “Concern” from property owners, which kind of adds to the fun. At Fashion Street occupants praised the art, saying they were always delighted when the art on their walls changed.
Fashion Street Before LIPF3 – including survivors Mowcka, Toastoro, RX Skulls, Quint, Neon Savage
Fashion Street After LIPF3. So and So PDX, Zelda Bomba, Doodlher, Wrdsmth, UltramarineDream, Emzo, Sincanvas, Planet Selfie, Catscult, Paddywaggon, Oddo, Jola, Jace, D7606, Coloquix, Diva Dog LA, Number Six Prints, Amore, Art Tits
Check out a short clip of the pasteup team in action on a few of the walls here on the Shoreditch Street Art Tours Instagram
Eight locations benefitted from comprehensive LIPF3 makeovers and several of the LIPF2 locations received minor tarting up.
Fashion St, the big picture
One part of Blackall Street: Yo Pecador, RX Skulls (2022), Vegan Flava, Easyone, Orrible (pre festival), The Ass Cream, Did by Rua, Slow Shrug, My Pen Leaks, Jane and Rik, Pixelpunk, Mnky, Doodlher, Paddywaggon, Blackligma
Puma Court detail: Katrine Beth Reigstad, Koko Bayer, Toastoro, Apparan, Goldloxe, Nudehead, PInk Boneyard, Neftnik, RX Skulls. Voxx Romana
Buxton St: feat. Yo Pecador, Pmntowl, Jola, My Pen Leaks, Sincanvas, d7606, Visionox, Mort art, Subdude, Wrdsmth, tweet_streetart, tanzt_die_orange, Lidia Lidia, number six prints
Seven Stars Yard fragment (see top image for full wall): Tweet_street art, TV Head ATX, Toastoro, Scrapyard Specs, Mkny, Jace, Did by Rua, D7606, Banga Street Art, Perishable Rush, blackligma; also David Guest, Brocolli Man, Raddington Falls
Grimsby St, the big picture
Small portion of Grimsby St walls: Apparan, Creative-Electric, Subdude, Raf Urban, Diva Dog LA, Bento Ghoul, Streetvulven, Visionox, Jace, Wrdsmth, Tripsandpieces, Jace, Briliant_gr, Jola, Lidia Lidia, Homo Riot
Calvin St: City Kitty, Greatboxers, Green Taxonomy, Nasty, Briliant_Gr, D7606, The Artful Fro, Mowcka, Lidia Lidia, Eduard Dinic, Toastoro, Fra Quendo, Pre LIPF: Darkevil Arts,Neon Savage, Boxitrixi, Donk, Corrosive8
It took a revolving gang of paste flingers led by the artists and principal organisers Apparan and Subdude 4 long days of action to paste up the art prior to the festival.
sunny days pasting art at Grimsby Street
The festival included fundraising, a paste up workshop run by the legend Mowcka and a pop up art shop at the notorious and popular Monty’s on Brick Lane.
LIPF3 Pasteup Workshop . Photo: Apparan
LIPF3 Pasteup Workshop . Photo: Apparan
LIPF3 marked a further development in the organiser’s approach to arranging the walls. In 2021 LIPF1 (review here) involved placing the art on walls with permission and in several locations the art was pasted onto vinyl tarpaulins which were tied to permission walls. LIPF2 (review here) in 2022 saw the team focus on pasteup halls of fame with tacit approval or tolerance, except one location where an occupant took extreme umbrage with the pasters and a cake slice to the walls. The absence of permission and the placement on existing pasteups gave the display a more authentic feel, something closer to the true spirit of pasteup street art.
This time, LIPF3, the team extended the number of walls decorated and worked around and with existing pasteup art, retaining large amounts of art already on the wall so that a spectrum of paper art from different stages of the street art life span could be seen. This meant that rather than a uniform brand new appearance of art all the same age, there was rips, textures and elements of the natural aging process present.
Seven Stars Yard
The pasteup team take great pains to try to avoid the walls looking like formal gallery hang arrangements, Uberfubs contributed significantly to the overall aesthetic adding her colourful circles to break up the depressing tyranny of the long straight edge.
Uberfubs between Doodhler, ODDO, Fra Quendo, Jola, D7606, Toastoro, Nasty, Tweet_streetart, Katsukai Collective, Subdude, DaddyStreetFox
The paste up crew didn’t just retain existing art, they even repaired some beautiful pieces that were on the verge of giving up the ghost. No charge 😉
The next video is a homage to the London International Pasteup festival featuring close to 70 shots of the art displayed on a number of the walls around Shoreditch.
London International Pasteup Festival was held on the weekend of 16th and 17th of September. The display survives but diminishes over time as new art goes over old.
The London International Pasteup Festival are congratulated on doing such a fabulous job at keeping this often overlooked and dismissed element of street art culture alive and relevant, as well as producing a wonderful update to a large number of walls around Shoreditch (and beyond through related projects)
As is the case with all street art except murals, participants in LIPF3 were not required to identify as artists, anyone could send in paper art and that could be you next time! Follow the London International Pasteup Festival for future news of further opportunities to join in the fun.
London International Pasteup Festival Instagram
All Photos: Dave Stuart except workshop photos courtesy Apparan