London International Pasteup Festival ’s 4th incarnation took place the weekend of 12th, 13th and 14th of September 2024. Art came in from all over the world with contributions ranging from street artists with an established gallery palmarès to newcomer artists being seen in public for the first time.
Each of previous 3 editions evolved in some manner from its predecessor, this iteration also had new games to play and toys to share. The prime focus is of course what goes up on the walls and for this edition the pasteup festival formed a new partnership with the London Mural Festival who kindly donated an established spraypaint art wall. The fate of the paste ups surprised precisely no one with spray can overpainting commencing immediately but it was an interesting experiment.
This year performance was brought into the programme with the pasteups providing a background. The charismatic belly dancer Ana Hernandez stopped the Brick Lane traffic on Saturday afternoon performing in front of the Seven Stars Pub wall art and on Sunday Jasmine Kahlia rapped up and down the pavement in front of the Seven Stars pasteups to a live and online audience.
There was an art sale, a treasure hunt to find framed art and throughout the weekend artist kept creating and adding to the walls.
Sunday’s schedule promised a colour walk. A colour walk it turns out, having seen the people involved, is a colourful procession of extravagantly clothed characters peacocking in front of pasteups of similar description.
It turns out cats were a very common theme for the art received by the organisers. Who’d have guessed?
Height is your friend if longevity is your ambition and ThisIsLostBoy demonstrates classic paper draped over telescopic handles brush to get the real paste up heavens spot. “Don’t bother in a breeze” was his key tip.
The organisation of the festival is driven mainly by force of nature Apparan but an incredible roster of supporters from the artists and photographers put shoulders to the wheel to get this event rolling, well done to all.
London International pasteup festival 2023 review
All photos: Dave Stuart except where stated