Tag Archives: Shoreditch

Intertwining figures in cubist style by street artist Yorgos painted on unusual shape wall

Yorgos new street art and old

On Christmas Eve the Shoreditch Street Art Tour had the pleasure of bumping into Yorgos photographing a charming new street art piece in his signature style painted the night before.  Ever the friendly one, Yorgos delighted guests on the tour by posing alongside his new masterpiece.

street artist Yorgos shows off his Shoreditch mural showing intertwined bodies with picasso cubist faces

Yorgos shows his characters on Christmas Eve 2023

Yorgos told us that he had painted the artwork the night before but hadn’t been able to get a decent photograph.  He had returned to get his daytime photograph but confessed he was a bit worried that it might have been tagged or painted over before he got there.  Lucky for all is was still in pristine condition.

Having seen out the old year with that beauty, Yorgos welcomed 2024 in with another banger.  This was painted on a wall some might consider complex but Yorgos seems to have found its geometry a simple problem to solve.  Cubism in a couple of squares!

close cropped photo of Intertwining figures in cubist style by street artist Yorgos painted on unusual shape wall

Yorgos, New Year 2024

This wall was actually right at the spot where my very first street art tour convened in 2008 and it is I believe the first time that spot has been taken over for a full mural piece in this style.

Yorgos showed he fully understand the ephemeral nature of street art and it was just as well he got his photos on Christmas Eve, that piece was painted over this week.

New graffiti writing over Yorgos mural

Polo STS over Yorgos, Jan 2024

I am sure we will see more from Yorgos this year, can’t wait.

Links:

Yorgos Instagram

All photos: Dave Stuart


Brick Lane London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

London International Pasteup Festival 2023

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.

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Pasteup Street art on wall on Brick Lane for the London International Pasteup Festival 2023

Soandso PDX, with Vegan Flava (Swe) and others

ACAC All Cops Are Clowns stencil street art pasted up as paste of London International Pasteup Festival 2023

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 London before the London International Pasteup Festival updated the street art

Fashion Street Before LIPF3 – including survivors Mowcka, Toastoro, RX Skulls, Quint, Neon Savage

Fashion Street London after the London International Pasteup Festival refreshed the street art

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 London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

Fashion St, the big picture

Blackall Street London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

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 London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

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

Pasteup Street art on wall on Seven Stars yard, Brick Lane for the London International Pasteup Festival 2023

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 London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

Grimsby St, the big picture

Grimsby St London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

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 London pasteup street art for the 3rd London International Pasteup Festival

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.

several Street artists adding art to a wall on Brick Lane for the London International Pasteup Festival 2023

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.

People making art for the London International Pasteup Festival Pasteup Workshop

LIPF3 Pasteup Workshop .  Photo: Apparan

People making art for the London International Pasteup Festival Pasteup Workshop

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.

Pasteup Street art on wall on Brick Lane for the London International Pasteup Festival 2023

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.

Colourful circles by Uberfubs connect and break up art by many street artists at The London International Pasteup Festival

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.

Click for LIPF3 Locations Map

London International Pasteup Festival Instagram

All Photos: Dave Stuart except workshop photos courtesy Apparan


image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Street Artist Cartoonneros Surviving England On Ten Pounds

Argentinian stencil artist Cartoonneros is in town again, this is hard to miss if you are paying attention in Shoreditch.

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Kurt Cobain, Jean Michel Basquiat by Cartoonneros, also feat Tizer

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Frida Kahlo and Van Gogh portraits by Cartoonneros

A few days ago I had the honour of visiting a posh west end gallery (private, appointment only!) with Cartoonneros and after that visit, rather than go for a coffee as I had anticipated, our stencil hero said “stick with me, I got something to do in Piccadilly”.  So, trying not to cramp his style, I followed at a discreet distance and captured a few additions to the chaos and colour that surrounds Anteros and he/him/his errant arrow.  Enjoy the vid, sorry about the sound.

Most importantly, Cartoonneros has his third show at The Pure Evil Gallery with an opening event this Thursday.   No excuses.

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Kurt Cobain by Cartoonneros; also 2Rise

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Frida Kahlo and Van Gogh portraits by Cartoonneros

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Cartoonneros putting Putin in the bin

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Mona Lisa street stencil reproductions by Cartoonneros

image of Cartoonneros street art to illustrate how it relates to his art in his exhibition at Pure Evil Gallery in Jan 2023

Esto ne es un stencil (except when its in Piccadilly)

Cartoonneros: “Surviving England On Ten Pounds”

Thursday 26th Jan 2023, 6-9pm

Pure Evil Gallery

98 Leonard Street,

Shoreditch


City Kitty, RX Skulls, Toastoro, Voxx Romana and Wrdsmth visited Shoreditch with a group of street artists from Portland and New York and created original street art

Portland and NY Street Artists visit Shoreditch

This August a group of street artists from Portland, Oregon as well as their friends from other endz visited Shoreditch to bless the public realm with their creativity.   Various combinations of this group have been visiting Europe regularly over the years and the street art they create is never short of impressive.

City Kitty, RX Skulls, Toastoro, Voxx Romana and Wrdsmth

Gang mural (above and feature image) : City Kitty, RX Skulls, Toastoro, Voxx Romana and local friend Wrdsmth

RX Skulls and Voxx Romana have been at the centre of the previous manifestations of this team, on this occasion they were joined by City Kitty from New York, Toastoro from Portland and team photographer Cody Keto.

Toastoro and RX Skulls

Cat Bus Toaster by Toastoro, Chonk by RX Skulls (also feat Boxitrixi, ODDO, DaddyStreertFox)

Each artist has embraced differing themes and influences yet there is commonality in the techniques, placements and energy.   Paste ups, stencil, stickers and various installations are all deployed in the name of public decoration, sometimes in adventurous and novel ways.

Voxx Romana

My name is Voxx Romana, observe my stencil

Toastoro

Toastoro stencilled paste up

RX Skulls is one of the best known art sticker makers around and he came prepared with masses of stickers, as well as paste ups and stencils.

RX Skulls

RX Skulls paste up

RX Skulls

RX Skulls sticker

RX Skulls, Voxx Romana/Vane PDX collab, Toastoro (also feat D7606, Slow Shrug)

Visible in the very corner of the photo above is a small RX Skulls paste up on the corner of the window ledge, a relic from 2018 which can be seen in its early days in the photo below.   Also visible in the following photo is a sculpture by 3x3x3 and a paste up from C3, C3 is one of the UK artists RX skulls has collaborated with and if you look closely above you can see the carbonised remains of that C3 in the layers of historic grime.

RX Skulls vs C3 also feat 3x3x3, 2018

Which leads to the next photo in which another aspect of the art practice of this posse is apparent, their enthusiasm for an art collaboration.  A collection of conjoined skeleton RX Skulls characters called the Chonks are seen in partnership with art from his UK friends D7606 and C3.  The Chonkening reflects RX’s intention to cram in tons of movies this year, don’t we all have an accumulated cinema deficit following the pandemic?  Another conjoined couple are off on a tattoo spree with a tattoo gun.

RX Skulls & C3; RX Skulls & D7606

RX Skulls & C3; RX Skulls & D7606

RX Skulls

RX Skulls wall of fame

In a lovely gesture RX gave a number of stickers which were hugely appreciated by guests of the Shoreditch Street Art Tour.

RX Skulls stickers

By the way, sticker placement at seriously impressive height was achieved using a special applicator I have seen on the net but never seen in action before.

Toastoro

Toastoro sticker

Voxx Romana came similarly prepared and perhaps most striking were his collaborations with Danny Ebru who provided the marbled paper background to Voxx Romana’s stencils, something Voxx brought with him on his previous visit.  The backgrounds are simply delicious.

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru collaboration

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru collaboration

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru collaboration

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru

Voxx Romana & Danny Ebru collaboration

Voxx got inventive with stencils wrapped around corners, borrowed background colours complement the stencilled definition of the face as if the whole thing was a single original collaborative art piece.

Voxx Romana

Voxx Romana 90 degree stencil

Another returning member was the collaboration machine City Kitty.  City Kitty focusses more on hand painted paste ups rather than print runs and consequently gets up fewer pieces than the other guys.   City Kitty does the street art podcast Scratching The Surface which is so damn good, several recent episodes were interviews recorded on this European foray.   If you are interested in the sticker arm device mentioned above then listen to all of City Kitty’s podcasts, one of them is with the artist whose side hustle is selling those poles.

City Kitty

City Kitty

City Kitty

City Kitty

Toastoro, whose pseudonym is a fusion of the word “toast” and the name of Studio Ghibli animation character “Totoro”, has had art up in Shoreditch in the past courtesy of friends putting him up but this visit really marked his first overseas in-person “campaign”.  Toastoro introduced two art techniques rarely seen in London street art: LED illuminated street art (hold tight Lost Hills) and layered art which Toastoro calls vinyl topography, the textured layered effect is hard to relive or convey through “mere” photographs.

Toastoro

Literally lit Toastoro

Toastoro

Toastoro vinyl topography

Toastoro

Toastoro vinyl topography

The Studio Ghibli reference implicit in the compound name Toastoro influences his subject matter which included sightings of Totoro (obvs) with a body shaped rather like a slice of bread, susawatari dust bunnies and funniest of all, a souped up cat bus (“My Neighbour Totoro”) with added toaster functionality.

Toastoro

susuwatari pavement stencils by Toastoro

Toastoro

Cat Bus Toaster by Toastoro

Toastoro visited Shoreditch with a group of street artists from Portland and New York and created original street art

Toastoro sticker

Voxx, RX and Toastoro all felt pavement stencilling was in order, something Voxx Romana and RX Skulls have done in Shoreditch on previous visits.

RX Skulls & Voxx Romana

RX Skulls & Voxx Romana pavement stencils

RX Skulls

Pavement Stencil by RX Skulls

Toastoro

Toastoro pavement stencil

The boys from Portland also put out some #FreeArt.  RX Skulls became only the second street artist I can recall putting out bronze street art.

RX Skulls

RX Skulls

Accompanying the street artists was the amazing and super cool photographer Cody Keto.  While out one evening the group bumped into Stik, a chance encounter which gave Cody the opportunity to create some amazing light trail photographs at Stik’s famous Hoxton Couple statue.  Cody has kindly given permission for his stunning photos to appear here.

RX Skulls, Voxx Romana, Toastoro and Stik

Portland guys vs Stik with Stik guest appearance. Photo courtesy Cody Keto Photography

Cody Kato and Toastoro

Catching Brick Lane Action – (behind) Cody Keto and (closer)Toastoro

The love extended to this group of visiting artists is really a reflection of the way they reach out to and embrace the wider world.  This is most apparent in their collaborations, these guys are total collaboration engines and it is not surprising to see them collaborating by design, on opportunity and by chance.

City Kitty and Toastoro

City Kitty/Toastoro cats and bamboo shoot collab (also feat Pablo Fiasco, RSH & an older Mowcka)

City Kitty and Toastoro

City Kitty/Toastoro collab detail

City Kitty & RX Skulls

City Kitty & RX Skulls collaboration

City Kitty hooked up with Neon Savage, the pair having collaborated many times down the years since meeting in Croydon in 2017 a fact gleaned from their podcast conversation on the always excellent City Kitty podcast.

City Kitty & Neon Savage

City Kitty & Neon Savage collab

RX Skulls & Polar Bear

RX Skulls & Polar Bear collaboration

One of the group told us that the highlight of the visits had been the welcome they received in Europe, visits were made to Manchester, Hackney Wick, Paris as well as Shoreditch and Southbank.  There were planned hook-ups as well as chance encounters with street artists and many artists and fans travelled to meet the team.

a group of street artists from Portland and New York and created original street art

Hanging at Montys for the “Bring and buy”

Toastoro

Toastoro at Southbank Undercroft

City Kitty

City Kitty at Southbank Undercroft

RX Skulls

RX Skulls at Southbank Undercroft

Mowcka has previously collaborated with City Kitty and travelled to hook up in Shoreditch.

Toastoro, City Kitty and Mowcka

Toastoro, City Kitty and visiting friend Mowcka

The combination of artists in this travelling circus changes on each visit but fear not, art by absent friends appears courtesy of those who do make the trip.

Vane PDX

Vane PDX (Voxx Romana obliged)

Vane PDX

Vane PDX transparent sticker

Vane’s sticker is printed on a transparent background, Voxx’s placement on Vane’s behalf intentionally responds to the red letterpress print by Jean Peut-Etre.  One of those “chance” collaborations perhaps.

DRSC0

DRSC0 – absent friend

visited Shoreditch with a group of street artists from Portland and New York and created original street art

Eye see Pam Goode – present in spirit

Also making appearances were friends from their local scenes that London did not have the pleasure of welcoming in person this time such as Cheer Up, Cuz Chris and Robots Will Kill

Cheer Up

Cheer Up

Notice the writing of Cheer Up’s name in the glitched font in the face – genius!

Cuz Chris

Cuz Chris

City Kitty & Chris RWK

City Kitty & Chris RWK sticker collaboration

RX Skulls, Chris RWK and Knor

Tracy Blackstock by Dreph admires stickers by RX Skulls and a Chris RWK/Knor collab

This visiting group of artists peppered Shoreditch and other parts of Europe with new street art embodying innovative, novel, collaborative, improvised fun wherever they went.  There were so many dimensions to the art and the activities they got up to and we thank them all for their contribution to the street art scene.

Links:

RX Skulls Instagram

“Art From Arrex. Stick It.”  RX Skulls 2014 stickers in Shoreditch

“Secrets Of The Sticker Shed – Sticker Making Workshop” (How to become RX Skulls)

Voxx Romana instagram

City Kitty instagram 

Toastoro instagram

Cody Keto Photography Website 

RX Skulls

RX Skulls stencil

RX Skulls visited Shoreditch with a group of street artists from Portland and New York and created original street art

RX Skulls stencils


Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch – The Dog’s Pollocks

It being that day today, Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, I decided to go out graff hunting and what a great decision that turned out to be.   “Helch Watch” has been running for several months following the addition of an incomplete piece of graff close to our hood in May.

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch, May 2022

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch, May 2022

My fave graff lookout, Lady Nolions, reported back a couple of weeks ago that Helch had returned to  transform and complete that piece and it was looking epic.  The fills range from fades to stripe via glitches and quilted patterns.  The symmetry in the composition is, as per for Helch, impeccable.

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch – Sep 2022

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch – Sep 2022

After suitably urban looking “context” shots, stepping in close for some close cropped shots revealed a stunning surprise.   Helch has gone full Jackson in a ground level oil spill trap and it’s more or less invisible until the moment you fall into it.  Helch does brilliant fills generally but this time a new level has been reached.

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch has low pollocks

Another new Helch was found in Shoreditch at the weekend and again the fill looked stunning.

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch Sep 2022

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helch – glitchy fill

Helch has kind of taken over one end of the road behind the old Truman Brewery, this time the combination of blues and whites in the fill suggest Helch seeks to give nature a run for its money in providing best cloud and sky colours.

Impressive colourful graffiti in London by Helch

Helta Skelta up to the clouds

Helch has created many more stunning text based artworks in Shoreditch over the past 12 months, consolidating a burgeoning reputation among fans of art as well as graffiti.

Helch instagram

All photos: Dave Stuart


Pasteup paper street art of simple blue and orange bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro

Novelondon

Novelondon street art: Street art from the artist Novelondon has appeared around Shoreditch within the past fortnight and there is nothing we love more than delicious new art from an unfamiliar artist.

Pasteup paper street art of simple orange and green bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Rolling Stones lyrics

Novelondon vs The Rolling Stones

Novelondon’s new street art combines characters and text with the unmistakable influence of Spain’s Miro.   The Rolling Stones and The Beatles lyrics feature.

Pasteup paper street art of simple orange and green bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Rolling Stones lyrics

Novelondon vs The Rolling Stones

Pasteup paper street art of simple blue bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Beatles lyrics

Novelondon vs The Beatles

Pasteup paper street art of simple red bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Rolling Stones lyrics

Novelondon vs The Rolling Stones

Pasteup paper street art of simple Green and blue bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Bob Dylan Lyrics

Novelondon vs Bob

There is great consideration given to placement, colour coordination with the background looks superb.

Pasteup paper street art of simple red, green and blue bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro

Novelondon in Shoreditch. August 2022

Pasteup paper street art of simple colourless bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro with Jimi Hendrix lyrics

Novelondon in Shoreditch. August 2022

A particular favourite seems to tip its hat to Rothko with its placement over graffiti removal colour washes.

Pasteup paper street art of simple blue and green bug like characters from Val Jones aka Novelondon influenced by Miro against a Rothko like background of grey and pink

NoveLondon in Shoreditch, August 2022

Links:

Novelondon instagram

all photos: Dave Stuart


A collage of paper art on Brick Lane features prints of fish, tribal characters and text by street artists Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi

Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi visit Brick Lane

A wonderful new batch of street art paste ups from a pair of overseas artists really gave a huge make-over to some of Shoreditch’s paste up halls of fame.

A collage of paper art on Brick Lane features prints of fish, tribal characters, and huge pink lobster and text by street artists Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi

We can see….Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi, July 2022

A collage of paper art on Brick Lane features prints of fish, tribal characters and text by street artists Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi

Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi, July 2022

Jean Peut-Etre is from France, quelle surprise, and collages letterpress and screenprinted paste ups on found vintage paper.

A screenprinted lobster in a vibrant colour among colour paper art and text pasted to a wall in Brick Lane by French street artist Jean Peut-Etre and art about Ukrain

Jean Peut-Etre, also featuring Subdude

a collage of a printed face mask and letterpress text pasted to a wall in Brick Lane by French street artist Jean Peut-Etre

Jean Peut-Etre

screen printed fish on a vintage French map pasted to a wall in Brick Lane by French street artist Jean Peut-Etre

Jean Peut-Etre

A screenprinted lobster in a vibrant colour among colour paper art and text pasted to a wall in Brick Lane by French street artist Jean Peut-Etre

Jean Peut-Etre

Boxitrixi is from Argentina and is currently a welcome resident in the UK with a glorious line in wood block printed naïve tribal characters.   Boxitrixi’s paste-ups were applied with an urgent roughness leaving ripples, wrinkles and textures in the paper.  The art acquired an instantly aged appearance entirely in keeping with the roughness of the printed images.

A wood block print of a tribal character by argentinian street artist Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi

A wood block print of a tribal character by argentinian street artist Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi

A wood block print of a tribal character by argentinian street artist Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi

A wood block print of a tribal character by argentinian street artist Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi

A wood block print of a tribal character by argentinian street artist Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi

Both street artists have decorated the Shoredtich area with street art on previous visits.  On this occasion, having met previously overseas they hooked on on the occasion of Jean Peut-Etre’s welcome return to Shoreditch.  The way the pair layer the walls leaves you admiring both the individual prints and also the collaged aggregate.

A collage of paper art on Brick Lane features prints of fish, tribal characters and text by street artists Jean Peut-Etre and Boxitrixi

Boxitrixi, Jean Peut-Etre also featuring Neon Savage

Featured image: Boxitrixi and Jean Peut-Etre, also features My Dog Sighs

Links:

Jean Peut-Etre Instagram 

Boxitrixi Instagram

all photos: Dave Stuart 


paste up street art in Shoreditch by comedian Bill Boorman also known as street artist Beirdo celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London with the message Pride is more that a parade

Pride Street Art In Shoreditch

Last weekend marked London’s main 2022 Pride celebration and a lot of new Pride street art appeared in Shoreditch in celebration of and support for the LGBTQ community.

On the Shoreditch Street Art Tour on Sunday I was asked by one guest why the London Pride was in July rather than June as they were used to.  Post tour digging revealed that “Pride in London”, the official title at present, is timed for the closest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in NYC which followed police raids on the Stonewall gay bar on 28th June.

The pride rainbow flag features in a lot of the Pride art pieces in its 6 colour traditional colour form, as opposed to the usual 7 colour representation of a rainbow.  The first rainbow flag was designed by the artist Gilbert Blake in 1978 at the request of Harvey Milk (see the film Milk, excellent).  It had 8 colours, the traditional 7 colours of the rainbow plus hot pink above the red.  Each of the 8 colours was assigned a specific meaning.  In 1979, aiming to increase flag production, the pink strip was dropped as hot pink material was not readily available.  The turquoise stripe was also dropped so that the flag could be split and displayed in symmetrical paired halves each having three stripes.  Thus the common Pride 6 colour rainbow evolved.

Subdude used an 8 stripe Pride flag to highlight statutory homophobia on the African continent.

paste up street art in Shoreditch by political street artist Subdude points out that homosexuals are legal targets in 30 African nations celebrating 50th anniversary of Pride in London

Subdude – Pride London 2022

Street artist Beirdo prefers 6 colours, or perhaps was just out of hot pink and turquoise A4.

Anti Conversion Ban Therapy paste up street art celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London with of messaages on rainbow coloured paper comedian Bill Boorman also know as  street artist Beirdo in Shoreditch

Beirdo – Pride London 2022

Apparan sends her greetings and wishes you Happy Pride, with 7 rainbow stripes.

paste up street art by street artist Apparan in Shoreditch celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London with a heart depicting love with 7 stripe rainbow flag motif flowing through it

Apparan – Pride London 2022

Drash La Krass has a list.  No homophobia, no biphobia, no transphobia, no sexism!

Drash La Krass glittery paste up street art in Shoreditch celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London with a no homophobia no bi-phobia no transphobia no sexism message

Drash La Krass – Pride London 2022

Ghead_Tra is a new name this year to the Shoreditch street art scene and his art hates hatred and Conservatives.  The God Loves Gays tricolour specifically aims at the vile spewing Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas USA.

Anti gay anti abortion extremist with Westboro Baptist Church placards held by children

Westboro Baptist Church anti gay anti abortion message – credit Jerod Harris

 paste up street art celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London opposing Westboro Baptist Church anti gay  art with messages by street artist Ghead_tra in Shoreditch

Ghead_art – Pride London 2022

If this next text based piece isn’t Ghead then Ghead ought to get together with the unknown artist as the message seamlessly blends two big issues Ghead has gone long on (anti gay bashing, anti Tory).

 paste up street art celebrates 50th anniversary of Pride in London with anti Tory text set in rainbow flag colours  by an unknown street artist in Shoreditch

Unknown artist – Pride London 2022

Sidenote: on another matter the same so-called place of worship also espouses extreme views on abortion and Ghead_tra parodies another specimen of Westboro extremism in opposition to that message.

Street artist Ghead_tra mocks Westboro Baptist Church anti-abortion views with modifications of their own anti abortion text say “abortion is my bloody choice”

“Abortion is my bloody choice”, Ghead_tra, July 2022

Ahead of this week’s Tory party implosion Social Sniper homed in on an issue which highlighted the breakdown of trust by members of the LGBTQ community in politicians.  This may need to be read slowly.  Conversion therapy is a process aimed at “curing” or changing expressions of gender behaviour, identity or expression.  To describe it as controversial would be to miss the most unacceptable aspects of the practice by a million miles.  Boris Johnson decided not to proceed with legislation to ban the practice which provoked howls of horror, at which point he flipped and decided there would be a ban except it wouldn’t apply to trans conversion therapy.

Anti Conversion Ban Therapy paste up street art depicts a trans woman and trans flag by street artist Social Sniper in Shoreditch

Social Sniper – – Pride London 2022

For the curious, the background to Social Sniper’s art is another form of colour spectrum specifically representing the trans community and their supporters.  Trans Pride is taking place this weekend (Saturday 9th July 2022), the weekend after Pride weekend.

Wandering down a parallel track again, one senior tory we didn’t know about before appeared on TV regretting that he had had to support the flip flops on conversion therapy policy.  When politicians publicly admit to supporting policies they fundamentally disagree with, how can voters expect to elect a representative possessing even the tiniest fragment of integrity.

Mike Freer MP

I am hugely indebted to my Shoreditch Street Art Tours co-guide Subdude for his insights and information regarding the content and installation of the art discussed.

All photos: Dave Stuart except where  stated

Featured artwork: Beirdo


Spitalfields – More Than Just Street Art

Street Art needs walls! Whether its Shoreditch or Spitalfields, street art may hang on hoardings, stick to street signs, augment adverts, decorate doors or flourish on flyposters but wondering at walls is the main thing on the Shoreditch Street Art Tour.  Walls beg a secondary purpose (wink) and minds distracted from art may dwell on fortuitous factors such as boundary, division, shelter, protection, property, privacy and possibly even more – where would windows hang if not framed in walls?

We pass a lot of walls on the Shoreditch Street Art Tour and a lot of wondering what lies within and behind those walls occurs.  Today the good people behind the doors of 8 Spitalfields properties invited the world in to see their urban gardens and we were delighted and fascinated.

Close by, Brick Lane teems with colour, noise and life but within these private Spitalfields spaces there is serenity, tranquillity and a sense of calm seclusion.  There is also tremendous inventiveness and creativity in the use of tiny scraps of urban space.  “Nothing but rubble below this paving” said one owner in his back garden; “foundations 5 brick deep” said the owner of another 1740s silk merchant’s property.

All the properties visited lie within the Fournier St and Brick Lane Conservation Area with the exception of the offices of The society For The Protection of Ancient Buildings at,37 Spital Square   which is in the Elder St Conservation Area.  All except one of the properties is Grade II listed.  Whilst fascinated by history, Shoreditch Street Art Tours makes no claim to being historians.  There are some fascinating reads to be found online which provide contest for the historical development of Spitalfields and its properties, such as “The Hugenots Of Spitalfields” website, the Spitalfields Trust  and the Spitalfields Neighbourhood Planning Forum website

The Spitalfields gardens were open as a group as part of the National Garden Scheme open day programme which clearly does great work raising funds for a variety of charities and we are grateful to the residents for opening their doors to provide such a fascinating insight to parts of Spitalfields not normally accessible by the public.

For those of you who explore the outsides with us, here is a collection of photos that is a bit horticulture, a bit architecture, a bit nosy-parker but mostly a record of a nice opportunity to view Spitalfield’s insides, withins and behinds.

All photos: Dave Stuart

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