Guides
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London Street Art Walk: Lockdown Edition
Have you missed being able to interact with art? Lockdown has been hard, but a good way to use your government sanctioned hour of recreation outside is to embark on street art walk around London. There’s many routes you could take, but below we’ve outlined a 1-2 hour tour of East London, which covers some of the key locations where you should be able to see works by some of the city’s best street artists. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tickle My Sense (@ticklemysense) You’ll start your walk at Liverpool Street station… Exit Liverpool Street station
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Banksy Value: who’s better? Sotheby’s, Christie’s or MyArtBroker?
Owning a Banksy is to own an iconic piece of British history and buying one is something many would love to do, but the path to finding the genuine article is fraught with uncertainty. From fakes to (astronomical) fees, there are plenty of pitfalls for the greener collector, especially where auction houses are concerned.
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How to Sell a Banksy: Best in Class
If you’ve acquired a work by Banksy, at some point you’re likely to want to release its value. Here is our Best-in-Class guide to where and how to sell a Banksy.
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Street Art City Walks: Buenos Aires
Street art in Buenos Aires began with paid political propaganda in the 50s and 60s. Since, it has developed as a reaction to politics and social and economic issues, rather than a support. Artists such as Jaz, Alfredo Segatori, BA Paste-Up, and BLU respond to controversy through bold, public statements. Look out for tributes to the late President Néstor Kirchner, who pulled the country out of the economic troubles of 2001, as well as criticism of his successor and contemporaries. As you walk around, many streets are charged with energy, injustice, and passion; but just as many are bright with
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Street Art City Walks: Montreal
Street art in Montreal is celebrated. The creativity it brings to the multicultural streets has been encouraged by the city for the past 60 years. A proportion of the budget for the redevelopment of public spaces goes on street art, which has enabled the creation of over 3,500 murals so far. Street artists flock to make their mark on the skyscrapers and community spaces during events such as Mural Festival; so, as you explore, you’re sure to notice artist signatures that are recognised across the globe as well as some local Montreal favourites. The impossibly long streets of Montreal (Sainte-Catherine
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Street Art City Walks: Berlin
Street art in Berlin began with the Berlin Wall. It quickly became a place for artists to express their ideas and frustrations and to deal with the controversy they faced. Today, this feeling of artistic honesty still prevails. Hard-hitting messages and striking images live on every corner. As you make your way around the city, look out for iconic Berlin signatures: the tags of Berlin’s largest street art crew, 1UP; El Bocho’s apolitical paste-ups; SOBR’s black and white ravers dancing beside doorways; the Street Yogi’s cork figurines posing on top of walls; and Alias’ strategically-placed stencils of young boys that
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Street Art City Walks: Melbourne
Street art in Melbourne is rooted in much of Australia’s heritage, with artists such as Adnate bringing aboriginal influences into their work. But beyond that, each street tells a story, be it military, environmental, or something from the artist’s personal life. There is always something to learn, discover, and interpret. Follow this walking tour around Melbourne CBD, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond, and Cremorne to see the best artwork that these districts have to offer. Each has its own distinct feel, with ceramic installations in one area contrasting the portraiture of another. Take your time walking this route, stopping off at Refuel
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Street Art City Walks: Lisbon
The streets of Lisbon are a blend of traditional and modern, derelict and cutting-edge. The artists who claim the walls seem to capture this in their work, often bringing together unique mediums and techniques. Projects such as Underdog and The Crono Project have sought to bring new talent to light and new life to abandoned buildings. Inspiring murals, sculptures, and messages can crop up in the most unexpected spaces. Look out for home-grown artists such as Vhils and Bordalo II, as well as celebrated creatives from around the globe. Start this 4hr walking tour at the furthest point from the
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Street Art City Walks: Glasgow
Glasgow street art has its own, very distinct style. Its home-grown street artists, as well as some international names, have turned the city into a gallery of colourful photo-realist portraits. Famous faces, as well as emotive unknowns, look down on you as you navigate this tour. Keep your eyes peeled for any art not mentioned in this tour, as new masterpieces crop up almost daily, many organised by the Art Pistols group. This walking tour focuses around the centre of the city, but feel free to head further afield to seek out new names, quirky characters, and more incredible portraits.
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Street Art City Walks: Bristol
A hub for UK street art, Bristol’s reputation has spread worldwide. Renowned street artists from across the globe have now made their mark on the colourful streets. Banksy, Cosmo Sarson, Pixel Pancho, Nick Walker, and Aryz have claimed their space; so, with new pieces popping up all the time, every corner could lead to a new discovery. Capturing every urban masterpiece in the city would be a never-ending task, as events such as Upfest see the artwork refreshed and reinvented every year. Our street art walking tour focuses on the highlights and showcases the immense variety of talent that has
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Street Art City Walks: Birmingham
The streets of Birmingham have been the canvas of street artists for decades, but more recent festivals, including B-Side, City of Colours, and High-Vis have nurtured the city’s talent and attracted bigger names from around the world. The Digbeth quarter is rich in colour and creative expression. This route takes you past some epic, sky-scraping murals and introduces you to some of Birmingham’s longest-standing artists. The tour can be walked in under two hours, but as every nook and cranny is likely to reveal something new, we insist that you take your time, stop off at our suggested Refuel Points,
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Street Art City Walks: London
As the capital city, you’d expect London to be rich in street art and creative talent. No area of London disappoints. Every street has its own signature, and every bar and restaurant has its own unique view. Here, we’ve put together a mix of well-known names like Banksy and Mr Cenz, with some more mysterious names and faces. The aim is to give you a taste of what’s popular now, and what you should watch out for in the future! Such a large city would take days, or even weeks, to properly explore, but we’ve broken it down into five
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Street Art City Walks: Manchester
The Northern Quarter of Manchester is where the street art talent has really developed. The Cities of Hope group helps rejuvenate these cityscapes with important, hard-hitting themes. Commissioned artists bring them to life in unique, visual masterpieces. As a result, the street art in Manchester reflects the personal struggles, failures, and successes, of Mancunians and citizens of the world alike. The scale of these artworks makes them hard to miss, so follow our suggested winding route towards the city centre, stopping every time something catches your eye. The walk can be completed in just a couple of hours, so consider
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The mask in Street Art
If one item is to become synonymous with the COVID-19 pandemic, surely it will be the mask. Only a couple of months ago were those wearing medical masks in public sneered at and humiliated, yet now, we are all becoming aware of the importance of them as valuable items protecting both ourselves, wider public health and the NHS. Unsurprisingly, street artists have capitalised on the powerful visual imagery that they provide- simultaneously a symbol of resistance and compassion for one’s fellow man, with strong post-apocalyptic overtones- and have begun integrating them into their artworks. Many artists have been placing masks
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Banksy’s Gift to the NHS: Game Changer
Yesterday, the unsuspecting staff at Southampton General Hospital came to work in the morning and were greeted by an extraordinary new Banksy artwork. The artist left a note with the artwork for the hospital workers, which read: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.” Paula Head, CEO of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our hospital family has been directly impacted with the tragic loss of much loved and respected members of staff and friends.” Largely monochromatic, the work depicts a child playing with
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Corona Street Art: Political Edition
Street Art has a long history of engagement with social and political issues. The art form has often used its placement within the public sphere as a means to bring awareness to inequality and totalitarianism power structures. It is then no surprise that many works responding to the COVID-19 crisis are pieces of protest, calling out governmental regimes that are seen to have been lacking in the way they responded to the global health threat. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump is a key subject, who has satirically been portrayed as the virus and in many other unflattering guises. Boris Johnson has been
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Best of Coronavirus Street Art
In the past few weeks as the world has come to grips with quarantining and social distancing, once heaving cities are now found to be eerily quiet. With traffic and travel at an all-time low, street artists are reclaiming the city by creating eye-catching murals with thought-provoking, and often satirical messages. From London to LA, to India and Gaza, here’s a round-up of some of our favourite street artworks responding the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the general atmosphere is dark and sombre, we’re grateful that these creative’s have made it their mission to bring some colour back into the world…
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KAWS’ foray into Augmented Reality
KAWS AUGMENTED REALITY World-renowned artist KAWS first released his collectable ‘Companion’- an 8-inch figurine of an altered Mickey Mouse- over 20 years ago, and since, the character has become a highly covetable worldwide sensation. The former street artist, real name Brian Donnelly, straddles the worlds of pop culture and art, often referencing recognisable cartoon characters from The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants and Sesame Street. His subversive take on beloved characters has garnered a cult-like following, with his drops selling out instantly and auction houses scrambling to re-sell. For two weeks in March, KAWS took his Companions into the virtual realm with
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Our favourite Street Art tributes to the NHS
COVID-19 has shed a light on who the real heroes are in our society; celebrities, influencers and the mega-rich haven’t been spared by the virus and their cultural import has been thrown into sharp relief as we’ve all been forced to recognise the true value of our key workers. Amidst our weekly ‘clap for NHS’ ritual, street artists have (unsurprisingly) taken to the street to show their admiration for our heroic health-workers. Artists up and down the country have used their talents to show their gratitude for the NHS, with some creations spanning across buildings. Sculptor Jamie Wardley created a
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Meet Artists Jessie and Katey
Zabou is a French street artist and designer based in London. Her print features the portrait of Frida Kahlo with a colorful background with rays and a golden halo.
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Make art, not war
Art on walls has always been a way to express the people’s concerns. Graffiti and murals reflect the crises, the anger but also the hopes of a people, especially in a time of war. We all remember Banksy’s engagement in Palestine in July 2005 when the latter painted a series of 9 murals along the wall which separates Palestine from Israel, a wall which ‘essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open prison’, according to the guerilla artist. Most of his pieces are deliberately provocative and definitely stand in favour of freedom and equality.In 2015, Banksy intervened in Gaza where
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About Artist BirdO AKA Jerry Rugg
BirdO is a street artist that is currently based in Toronto, Canada. His travels with painting have taken him throughout the United States and Central America. BirdO will be making his first tour through Europe with the first stop being Upfest in Bristol during the upcoming summer of 2016. The next murals that he will be painting will be in Tallahassee, Florida and until then a lot of his time will be spent in his studio painting canvas and drinking Earl Grey tea. BirdO doesn’t read as much as he should but on occasion he will listen to an entire book on tape in one studio sitting. In a sense, he is still digesting the information.