The beginnings of street art in London
As you might imagine, the UK was heavily influenced by the New York scene. Subway art was seen as a "street art bible", according to London artist Remi. At that time, in the early 1980s, car paint was virtually the only tool available to taggers. The cultures of hip-hop and electro music began to appear on the radio at the end of the 1980s in England. Street art was born illegally and clandestinely in London, as elsewhere in the world, and the very conservative city fought against what it considered a scourge. A case in point is Brixton, home to the famous Stockwell Hall of Fame, nestled in the middle of the Stockwell Park Estate on Aytoun Road.
The Hall of fame
The Hall of Fame, a former sports field, was one of the city's first legal painting venues, and still boasts a good number of artists ready to coat the walls with thick layers of paint. The basketball court is at the end of Broomgrove Road. Since the early 1990s, street artists have been able to create freely here. Over the years, the great pioneers of graffiti have come to paint on this wall: Slick, a street artist originally from Los Angeles; Duster UA, a New York graffiti artist based in California; Ivory, who began painting in the Bronx in New York, like his friend Tats Crew; the British artist Goldie; the Ghetto Farceur gang from the Paris region... In all, around 40 artists can occupy the space on this wall, which contains multiple layers of paint. An average of 10 pieces per week can be produced. All mediocre work is removed.
The Cans Festival of Banksy
Over the past 50 years, graffiti and street art have evolved considerably, giving rise to a major movement in the world of painting. But unlike other major capitals, London had no festival. In 2008, from May 3 to 5, the internationally renowned Banksy invited some 30 artists from all over the world to London for the Cans Festival, held in the old tunnel that used to link cabs to Waterloo station. With the help of Eurostar, he has created a unique exhibition. On show are Andreas Hamran Færø aka Dolk, Norway's best-known graffiti artist, along with Pøbel, who is also here, Englishman Charles Uzzell-Edwards aka Pure Evil, Londoner Eelus, Australian Vexta, as well as young Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (who is making a splash with his frescoes), to name but a few, not forgetting graffiti star Xavier Prou aka Blek le Rat, a French stencil artist born in 1951 in Boulogne-Billancourt. Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, now suspected of being Banksy himself, takes part in the festival's opening night. Hours of queuing were already waiting for fans, and the end of the tunnel was reserved for the spontaneity of the public who had turned out in force to see this event, which was making the front pages of the British newspapers. Nicknamed the Banksy Tunnel, it can be visited today.
London neighborhoods where to see street art
But entire districts have also become popular with London street art fans in recent decades, such as Shoreditch, one of the best places to see graffiti, which blends the Indian and Bangladeshi influences of Brick Lane, Spitalfields Market and Liverpool Street - in the heart of the City's financial district. A must for graffiti fans, Rivington Street, Great Eastern Street, Cremer Street, Princelet Street, Toynbee Street, Shoreditch High Street, Fashion Street, Brick Lane and Bell Lane all beckon with large-scale frescoes painted by internationally renowned graffiti artists such as Banksy, of course, but also C215, Otto Schade and Mr Cenz. Since 2015, from a barren wasteland next to the railroad line in an unattractive part of Shoreditch, The Nomadic Community Garden, has been transformed into a remarkable self-contained urban space. This is a shared garden. The large wall overlooking the garden quickly became the centerpiece of the Graffestival, which attracted artists and musicians for six editions, with a final finale in 2018. Promoters closed down the venue, which no longer exists. Rest assured, other venues dedicated to street art in London do exist. The Southbank Centre has donated the walls of its famous skate park to graffiti artists. The best street art can be found near the skate park, which hosts various festivals. And Bethnal Green, an authentic East London district, remains far from the picture-postcard, and many graffiti artists have stuck to it and still do. And Camden's street art, so beloved of singer Amy Winehouse, is concentrated mainly in a rectangle between Hartland Road to the north, Pratt Street to the south, and between Camden Street to the east and Camden High Street to the west.
Among the personalities who have left their mark on London street art, Roa is a Belgian street artist who has worked all over the world. He has left his mark on the capital's walls and exhibited at the Pure Evil Gallery. His gigantic frescoes depict animals, mainly in black and white. Like Banksy, he wishes to work anonymously, and his relations with the authorities are not always straightforward. In London, his best-known work is undoubtedly the giant rabbit on Hackney Road. Although he had previously received permission to create this work, in 2010 Hackney Council wanted to remove it altogether. Fortunately, a petition and the mobilization of local residents saved the fresco.
Last but not least, Lancashire-born Dale Grimshaw, a graduate of the London School of Fine Arts, exhibits in galleries around the world and paints on the iconic walls of London, where he lives. His imposing colorful frescoes are mainly portraits, notably of Indian tribesmen, a real contrast in the midst of the urban landscape.
