Who would win in a fight between a Roa hedgehog and a Banksy rat? We might find out as there’s a fascinating week in prospect in the world of London galleries who show artists who are more at home on outdoor walls.
BANKSY: The Unauthorised Retrospective, Curated by Steve Lazarides
Banksy canvas: Avon and Somerset Constabulary; image courtesy Sothebys website
Steve Lazarides in conjunction with, or thanks to, or despite Sotheby’s is staging a “selling show” of Banksy print and canvas artwork. Steve Lazarides is famously known as the svengali who co-piloted spaceship Banksy to enormous heights until the relationship ended a few years ago. “He’d hate it. It’s about as far removed from something he would contemplate as you could get” says Lazardis though it’s probably not as far off the Banksy Christmas card list as a show exhibiting Banksy’s street works in a boutique hotel basement.
What you will get are about 70 prints and canvasses by Banksy, supposedly the largest exhibition of his work ever but it will be asurprise if it matches the scale of the epic 2009 Bristol Museum and Art Gallery show (which of course was “authorised” Banksy).
Chances of getting to see the private view are virtually zilch, especially if you are reading this the day after tomorrow. “Go and see it when it’s quiet” said my friend on the inside. The last time anything “quiet” happened with Banksy was back in ‘05 when our whole family trotted along to the Crude Oils show with the live rats and just walked in off the street over the weekend. It may be a little different this time.
11 June 2014 – 25 July 2014
Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 June 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Sotheby’s S|2 space
31 St. George Street, London W1S 2FJ
ROA: ‘PROJECTUM 06’
Roa has to be one of the few street art talents who can rank up alongside Banksy and he has an original show opening head to head in London in the same week as the Banksy retrospective!
ROA first exhibited in London at Pure Evil’s gallery in 2008, a show that propelled him to stardom as we fell in love with these dishevelled, skinned and disembowelled creatures painted on anything but conventional canvas. Stolen Space’s first show in what has now become their home was the cracking 2012 Hynagogia staged before the gallery became the cleaner, whiter two roomed permanent gallery home it is now. This return to Stolen Space sees the Belgian painter create another installation based show which is sure to have us gasping at its unconventional surfaces and grubby dirty creatures. Can’t wait.
“Deer”; image courtesy Stolen Space
MAX RIPPON: “Pentimento”
Also opening at the same time in the other Stolen Space room is “Pentimento” by Max Rippon aka NY street artist/graffiti writer RIPO. Expect top quality graphic art with a graffiti twist.
max Rippon aka “RIPO”; image courtesy Stolen Space
A huge heap of talent there in those two rooms. Both shows:
13 June – 6 July (private view 12th, 6pm)
STOLEN SPACE GALLERY
17 Osborn Street
London E1 6TD
TRUST.ICON: “Tears of a Clown”
Meanwhile, on the far side of town, Trust.Icon opens Tears Of A Clown, RSVP required. Some of Trust.Icon’s street artsuch as this recent location specific single layer stencil image is top notch. Some not so!
Trust.Icon (photo: nolionsinengland)
Tears Of A Clown
12 – 26 June (private view 6.30 pm, 12th)
284 Portobello Road,
London, W10 5TE.