Graffoto
Two weeks ago today I received a text message from the NHS telling me I had to isolate, though I had pretty much gone into a self imposed lockdown a week earlier when I returned from my Father’s funeral in Ireland. On a daily basis I have been digging through the photo archives and posting […]
Jace is a street artist who puts up charming and idiosyncratic sculptural faces on walls, usually not troubling wall owners with requests for permission. At the turn of the decade, three weeks ago, Jace revealed he had put up 253 faces in an impressive 47 cities in a staggering 21 countries. I can relate to […]
Winter Lights Canary Wharf, London 16th – 25th January 2020 Dark nights and biting cold make classic ingredients for some light art so off to Winter Lights at Canary Wharf, selfie heaven in the form of 26 sculptures. Affinity, Amigo and Amigo & S1T2 Starting with our favourite, Constellation is part Dr Who theme tune […]
Time to reflect on another glorious year of street art. Time to make zero apologies for again revealing a disposition towards the small and the unexpected rather than the humongous blockbusting murals. Time to admit that this was written before all those other end-of-decade posts that have been pouring out of Graffoto over the past […]
As we slide through the holiday period, unsure of what day it is and absolutely no idea about the date, our only grasp on the sludge of events we are laying down and will call “history” is that something happened yesterday or 3 days ago, whatever day or date that was. The other evening we […]
At the beginning of the 2010 decade, a decade forever tainted by lack of a decent single word to define the period, the street art of Darius Downey, Ronzo and even the occasional Banksy sculpture (pickaxe phonebox) notwithstanding, there was not much sculptural street art to speak of. As a more benign accepting tolerance of […]
The second decade of the 21st century witnessed tumultuous political events. A web of local and international issues emerging from recent and historical influences with consequences for individuals and societal groupings have echoed in the street art spotted by Graffoto. Austerity, migration, foodbank poverty, ethnic oppression, democracy, corruption, patriarchy, nepotism, cronyism have all been the […]
Christmas Day 10 years ago the notorious Robbo vs Banksy spat went to another level. Robbo, RIP, headed out very early Christmas morning, crossed the Regents Canal at Camden directly under British Transport Police HQ and painted the perfect riposte to Banksy’s Wallpaperer. 25th December 2019 KING ROBBO! Early that Christmas morning I noticed a […]
Muralism is the painting of astounding pieces of street art on buildings, these days usually with permission. We’re talking daylight painting, accomplished artists and permission but not direct municipal involvement. In Shoreditch that’s generally how it operates. We are not talking about civic murals where artists pitch for council approval, arts council funding and perpetual […]
This month the 21st century ends its troublesome teenage years, the street art brat certainly matured and changed. In terms of becoming a phenomenon accepted by the public, the media and importantly the art market, the past decade actually makes up about half of street art’s life to date and Graffoto is delighted to have […]