Things I’ve seen….

Few random shots from my wonderings

Hugo Bossman

Motherbar (333)

Unknown off Brick Lane

Nazir Tanbouli

I have found a few extra little pockets of art around East London and will picture these v soon.

Any suggestions for good places to go in South London ya’l?

Words from Above

Above. Something really interesting in pretty much every piece I see from this guy, and he has something to say literally every time but I actually believe his sentiment when he put paint of a wall, unlike some others it feels genuine and with no little amount of humour as well.

The pieces I am sharing here show he likes to take a risk or two to get his point across, clearly he can not do this without his phlanax of people to find the settings and the subjects and then to get out without ended up banged up. The first piece I showed was his comment on the diamond trade in Johannesburg 

The fact he is so prolific and that he has been all around the world suggests he must be making a pretty penny out of his artistic excursions. I do not mind that, some people have an issue but everyone has got to make ends meet.

So to Above’s work, but only one type, his use of words

Berlin - Leave them artists alone

Berlin is not without amazing art, but the scale of this is brilliant, you can just make out a woman. Big can be beautiful

Cape Town - look Above

A commission by a fairtrade winery in SA

Miami - What a banker

This may be in Miami sunshine but it is a commentary on The Wall Street protests, the full piece reads… ‘Give a Wall St. Banker Enough Rope and He Will Hang Himself’. Like many of Above’s work this made the news across the US.

Hung up financially

Over to San Jose

Peru - What comes from there?

It is beautiful but also shining a light on what the country is famous for as well, plus the ‘O’s are windows which make it even better

Clever whore

Some simple Melbourne graf

Mexico.... on his way home

This was done in 2 hours with the last bits of paint left in his pots.

When you coming to London Above?

Here, there, every Nazir

Full wall of monsters

Following my previous post this month on Nazir Tanbouli we saw that the man is trying to single-handedly turn a semi-deserted eye sore in East London into his very own canvas. I am loving this big dinosaurs with upside down heads and multiple eyes.

Dino-boarded up

The playful imagery is like a acid version of Jurassic Park.

Bird in prey

Fish walls

As always… not telling you exactly where it is…. but it is between Kingsland Road and Queensbridge Road

Banksy vs Robbo pt.98

Latest version, this one by Team Robbo

Everyone has heard of Banksy, maybe not everyone has heard of Robbo. Robbo was in his words the original and a pioneer of the street art game. He tagged and painted his way around London in the 80’s before it was cool or indeed profitable to do so. After a while he retired, he made no money out of it and felt it was for the younger man.

A young Banksy met Robbo and they had a bit of set to and Robbo claims to have given him a slap.

Fast forward a few years and the grudge comes back when Banksy paints over an iconic Robbo piece with a workman putting up wall paper. Cue a long running, slightly petty, rather amusing, visually interesting tete a tete.

Click here for a run down of some of the shots

Get well soon anyway Robbo

Things I’ve seen…

On Saturday StandardFact took a bike ride along the canal to Camden, it was a lovely day and offered the chance to check out some pieces of art along the way. It is a lovely ride on the canal from Angel to Camden by the way…

I learned two things.

1. I don’t like Camden much at all

2. Everyone else in the world does

It was so busy and generally horrendous, Saturdays should never involve heading to Camden. If you only ever listen to one thing SF says then make it this…. Do not go to Camden on Saturday

I did however find some cool pieces which I will share now….

Kissable lips

Familiar image

Who knew Belgians were so funny?

In the past Belgium was known for chocolate and peodos… until Austria took that last crown. But now maybe they can be seen as inventive and creative marketeers, pranksters even. This week StandardFact spotted this beaut, it has done the rounds already by now but if you have not seen it. It is a brilliant piece of advertising which plays on human natures natural inquisitive tendencies. Hats off to TNT television station, they know drama. Only 15 million views in 3 days….

Apols for the Belgium joke, only kidding ya’l

Diamonds are for-never

I’d heard of the Artist Above before…. but a short post will not do the guy justice so take this as a mini-intro to a prolific artist who unlike so many has many many sides to his work, he can do political as well as Banksy, cartoon as well as Sweet Toof and word stencils to match Ben Eine.

This is a brilliant piece, I believe the story goes that he got permission to stencil ‘Diamonds are a Woman’s Best Friend’ on the wall outside Jewel City, Johannesburg’s center for diamond trading…. he then went back and added a little extra. Brilliant, beautiful and not a little bit dangerous I’d imagine.

Stay tuned for my full look at Above…. when I have time that is

And why I am at it…. Surely Kanye should get props for pointing this out as well. Soooo Kanye

He’s got a big art

Ich liebe Berlin, I would live there if my pigeon German improves, and it will so help me. One of the big reasons I love Berlin is that it is unlike any other city I have been to on every level and one of the most beautiful levels is the art you can see. On pretty much every corner of Kruezberg there is something to feast your eyes upon.

Berlin is a hotbed for creative types, from artist to musicians to sculptors to those very sexually liberated, they are attracted to the city by the bohemian lifestyle, the hotpot of nationalities and the city’s lax attitude towards drugs.

All the above combines to some of the coolest and most creative art, street art and graf you will find.

That is spray paint you know

I spotted this on urbanartcore this week and thought it was immense. The scale, the detail, the expressions, just make for an amazing display. James Bullough, a Washington native is creating this masterpiece at Torstrasse 111. If you have never been there then go, it has music studios, art studios, scuplture, a maze and bars. The launch is on April 28th, get there is you can. If not check out his website for some cool and abstract stuff.

She menacing...

I must have gone to Berlin 5 times last year for various reasons, this year only once so far…. better get booking. If for no other reason than this place…