My Personal Highlights of Bristol Upfest 2018, Europe’s Largest Street Art and Graffiti Festival

My Personal Highlights of Bristol Upfest 2018, Europe’s Largest Street Art and Graffiti Festival

From 28 till 30 July 2018 the city of Bristol was largely covered in scaffolding allowing street artists and graffiti writers from all over the world to create stunning artworks for the 10th edition of Upfest, Europe's largest street art and graffiti festival. It was an extremely difficult process but here are a few of my personal highlights of Upfest 2018!

From Graffiti to Celebrity: Jean-Michel Basquiat

From Graffiti to Celebrity: Jean-Michel Basquiat

The most comprehensive retrospective to date in the UK on American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat opened today at the Barbican Centre in London. The opening was heralded by two brand-new pieces by street artist Banksy in celebration of Basquiat. Banksy’s tribute couldn’t be any more fitting as Basquiat didn’t only start his career as a graffiti artist, but his colourful and ‘freestyle’ drawings have clearly influenced so many graffiti writers and street artists ever since.

Exhibition: ‘LAX/LHR’ Brought to You by Thinkspace LA and StolenSpace Gallery

Exhibition: ‘LAX/LHR’ Brought to You by Thinkspace LA and StolenSpace Gallery

StolenSpace Gallery in London and Thinkspace Gallery in LA have teamed up and co-curated a group show in London: LAX/LHR. Here's a photo report of this vast and entertaining exhibition which is spread between the two gallery spaces. You can go see the artworks in real life till 4 October 2015 at StolenSpace Gallery in London.

Same Wall Different Street Artist #1: Restaurant Kinkoa, Pedley Street (Shoreditch)

Same Wall Different Street Artist #1: Restaurant Kinkoa, Pedley Street (Shoreditch)

Going through my street art photo archive recently inspired me to start a new blog post series: Same Wall, Different Street Artist. As the name suggests, this series will show you how exactly the same wall is transformed by different artists over time. Let's kick off this series with murals on Thai restaurant Kinkao on Pedley Street in Shoreditch, one of the spots I always visit on my street art wanderings around Brick Lane.

Exhibition: The New Pollution by Ben Frost

Exhibition: The New Pollution by Ben Frost

Shoreditch-based StolenSpace Gallery is one of my regular go-to destinations during my street art walks. Featured artists all come from or are inspired by 'underground' culture such as graffiti writing and street art. The same goes for their current show 'The New Pollution' by Australian artist Ben Frost, which criticises the amount of urban refuse and unwanted advertising (pollution) that forces its way into our private lives on a daily basis.

Art Liberté: Berlin Wall Street Art Exhibition at Paris Gare de l’Est

Art Liberté: Berlin Wall Street Art Exhibition at Paris Gare de l’Est

When my husband recently went to France for work and had to change trains at Paris Gare de l'Est, he came across a big free street art exhibition just outside of the station called Art Liberté. Being the good husband he is, he documented it for his street art-obsessed wife on his phone while dragging a suitcase and guitar through the busy Parisian streets. Here are the photos he took with more background information on the artists and their work.

In Search of New Street Art with Camden Street Art Tour

In Search of New Street Art with Camden Street Art Tour

My street art explorations mostly focus on the streets of Shoreditch, the epicentre of the London street art scene. I noticed from photos on social media that Camden has been emerging as a new popular destination for street artists. Under the guidance of Camden Street Art Tour I recently ventured off to north London to see what great works this area has to offer.