BEYOND THE STREETS
Shepard Fairey Icons - Faces - 2021
WHAT? Beyond the Streets London
WHERE? Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
WHEN? Now until 9th May
WHY GO? For a hyper energetic fix. Whatever street art means to you, it has a subliminal influence on daily life. A stimulating part of urban architecture, melding together music, art, fashion and politics, street art is symbolically anti-establishment which always resonates with the youth culture of the day.
This hyper energetic exhibition attempts to unravel its origins and is literally rammed with international street art from billboards to enthralling installations, music posters to underground videos, some designed to shock, others to educate, but always with a powerful message to impart.
Who are these artists that achieve underground fame and why do they set out to break the rules?
Explore some of the answers in this monumental show that celebrates the work of 100 art activists, from those that silently daub large scale murals on railway sidings, to those that achieve global fame like Shepard Fairey, whose iconic HOPE poster championed Barack Obama’s campaign way back in 2008, catapulting him to world-wide fame.
You might well be inspired to pick up a paint brush and adopt a pseudonym!
IN THE KNOW From the street to your feet! The exhibition is supported by adidas originals, which explains the reasoning behind a whole lot of trainers on show alongside the music sectors and is curated by cultural historian Roger Gastman.