London International Pasteup Festival’s 4th iteration was held 12th, 13th and 14th of September 2024. Street artists from all over the world sent in art on paper, artist of all levels of distinction from internationally recognised to first time beginners contributed sack loads of art all destined for the walls of Shoreditch.
Each of the previous 3 events learned from its predecessor and this iteration also had new bangles and baubles to bring to the wall. For 2024 the pasteup festival forged a new partnership with the London Mural Festival, also ongoing in September, who kindly donated an known permission graffiti art wall. Perhaps unsurprisingly spray can overpainting began even before the pasteup festival commenced but nonetheless it was an interesting and entertaining experiment.
This year the pasteups made a background for a performance programme. Charismatic belly dancer Ana Hernandez stopped Brick Lane traffic on Saturday afternoon performing in front of the Seven Stars Pub wall art and on Sunday Jasmine Kahlia rapped hard in front of the Seven Stars pasteups to a live and online audience.
Also new to the festival was a treasure hunt for framed art. Art, stickers and event merch was on sale and all weekend artists kept creating new paste ups to add 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.
Cats were a theme of a lot of the art submitted, who’d have guessed?
If art longevity is your ambition then go high! ThisIsLostBoy demonstrates the classic paper draped over telescopic handle brush to get up to the real paste up heavens spots. Advice to onlookers was “Don’t bother in a breeze”.
The organisation of the festival is driven mainly by force of nature Apparan. Pasting the walls with the art contributions begins 7 or 8 days before the festival and a dedicated set of artists and photographers chipped to put this event on, well done to all.
All photos Dave Stuart except, with thanks to Eva Brochta where mentioned