Showcasing the works of more than 100 artists, London’s Saatchi Gallery is hosting a brand new exhibition, exploring the impact of graffiti and street art across the world. Beyond the Streets London captures historic moments in this artistic movement.
“The unsanctioned, vandalist, rebellious nature of the movement is core to the show," explained Co-curator, Evan Pricco. "But it’s also how that has grown and how that has influenced the way that people do fashion, the way that people do photography, the way that people do music.”
Alexandre Farto, tag name Vhils , is a Portuguese artist fascinated with faces. He uses repurposed materials to reimagine walls. His works are a star of the Saatchi show.
“The work that I do… The whole process always implies an act of destruction that then creates", he told Cult.
"So, an act of extracting the surface of the walls in a public space, or doors, or any object that the city doesn’t care [about]… Through a process of revealing, scratching the surface, I create stories and usually about people who are related to those objects or that city, ” Alexandre Farto added.
Boris Tellegen, also known as Delta, is a graffiti artist from the Netherlands who specialises in a different form of creative expression. His work is also on display for the Beyond the Streets London exhibition.
“Graffiti is about your name. But it’s also about the shape of letters. You know, to form them, and to squeeze them and to stretch them,” he revealed.
Coming from shows in LA and New York, this exhibition features new works in London – a city with significance.
“There’s so much to say about graffiti and street culture in London," Laura Uccello, Partnerships Director at Saatchi Gallery told Cult. "I think there’s a lot of moments that you’ll find in the show, specifically the New York City Rap Tour coming to London and how that related to the music scene and the visual culture scene.”
“Beyond anything, there is so much that you can trace from where graffiti spawned and how far it’s gone through the whole of the marketing world into new media. It’s incredible,” said Street Culture Archivist Killa Kela .
Beyond the Streets London runs at the Saatchi Gallery until 9 May.