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With all this warm weather, the city has exploded into colourful life. Mark Rigney offers his pick of London’s new public artworks
Shok-1 (pictured above)
Shok-1 has perfected a spookily translucent way of painting that makes his work look like massive X-rays. He’s stripped back the colours a little in his latest creations, coming up with images like this massive hand (probably) flicking the peace symbol. Titled ‘MasterPeace’, the painting was created in response to the nasty atmosphere that swept across the country in the wake of the EU referendum.
Fournier St, E1.
Axel Void
Born in Miami and raised in Spain, Axel Void – AKA Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs – was among the artists invited by Banksy to take part in last year’s ‘Dismaland Bemusement Park’ project in Weston-super-Mare. Strongly influenced by classical painting and drawing, he’s now back in the UK and has just completed work on this massive mural. It’s one of two murals painted as part of his residency at Unit 5 Gallery, which will stage a large-scale exhibition of his work early next year.
Scawfell St, E2.
The Lord Napier
Curated by local printmaker Aida Wilde, Hackney Wick’s iconic Lord Napier pub has been transformed into a riot of colour as part of the Hackney WickED Festival, a celebration of the local artistic and creative community. Wheatpasted posters, stencils, stickers and works by a host of local street and graffiti artists have breathed life back into this derelict pub. Mobstr, Edwin, Sweet Toof, Dscreet, Donk, Malarko, Static and Mighty Mo are among the artists whose work now adorns the boozer’s walls.
White Post Lane, E9.
Dan Witz
‘Breathing Room’ is the title of Brooklyn native Dan Witz’s series of interventions in London’s iconic red telephone boxes. Ten phone booths across the city have been transformed with illusionistic paintings of figures from diverse backgrounds and faiths, from a Buddhist boy to a hijab-clad young woman and a Hindu yogi. Witz describes them as ‘all very still, all in the midst of a spiritual practice, and all projecting a quiet sense of peace and equanimity.’ They’re certainly a hell of a lot better than the things you normally find in phone boxes.
Upper Clapton Rd.
Mobstr
When Tower Hamlets Council cleaned the graffiti and tags off this stretch of wall along Wick Lane, Hackney artist Mobstr saw a blank canvas on which to create a new work. And annoy the council. Each time the artist spraypaints a stencilled sentence across the wall, the council paints over it, back and forth, ad infinitum. Whoever has the most patience wins.
Wick Lane, E3.