The Best Places To Go To See Street Art In London.
Sure London has the reputation of being a concrete jungle, with foliage upon foliage of office buildings but have you ever looked a little closer and actually registered what is on the surface of some of London’s buildings, streets walls, floors, tunnels etc.? Because if you have, you will already know that London is being taken over and coloured by street art in all different styles. The street art in London has evolved from the days of childish and amateurish graffiti and now consists of designs and pieces of art worthy to be hanging in galleries such as The Tate Modern. Street art is a form of expression like no other and allows the creator of each painting or picture to let go of all inhibitions and to spread a message to people and the London community. As you can tell I feel very passionate about street art in London and getting more people to appreciate it, so the purpose of this article is to list the best places to go to see street art in London.
1.Shoreditch.
Shoreditch is ever evolving and a cultural hub for London’s urban art scene. On first glance, the art that sprawls across the belly of tunnels, walls, lampposts and letterboxes might look like any old graffiti. But on closer inspection, every piece is unique and tells its own story, colouring London’s streets with energy and character. Street art at Shoreditch comes in all shapes and sizes but around the Boxpark area, you can expect to find single pieces occupying the whole wall of buildings, such as a giant Asian tiger, or a native African peering out at you from some bushes. You will be surprised at culturally rich the street art is here, for traditional British symbols and mottos as well as those from countries around the world such as China, Japan, Brazil are all on display on Shoreditch’s art scene. My challenge to you is to spend a day exploring Shoreditch and photographing your favourite examples of Street Art.
www.pinterest.co.uk2.Borough Market.
Just as you leave Borough Market and walk in the direction of Shakespeare’s Globe, you will pass under a little alcove and emerge near to a Nando’s and a Wagamama restaurant. On the side of the Wagamama restaurant, there is a beautiful Japanese inspired piece of street art with a little boy peering out at you over a bowl of noodles, the rich hues of green and red interspersed with black are quite frankly stunning. Right next to this piece, you can find a mural dedicated to Shakespeare which consists of a painting of the playwright himself amid a psychedelic backdrop of a giant rainbow swirl – many English students (myself included) have/have had their picture in front of this homage! Borough really does possess two of the best pieces of street art in my opinion!
3.Brick Lane.
Similar to Shoreditch, Brick Lane is like one continuous collage or tapestry of street art in London. The walls of Brick Lane are smothered with street art of all kinds, shapes and forms, so much so, you can decipher new pieces have been painted on top of old as a sign that new artists are making their mark and that the urban art scene is constantly evolving and competitive.
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4.Hackney Road.
Hackney, situated in the East End, is home to some of the largest pieces of commissioned and uncommissioned collections of street art. Pieces that stands out in particular are a mural by Louis Masai and Jim Vision created as part of a wider project called Save the Bees, which (to state the obvious) features a huge bee being targeted by wasps, as well as a piece of art created by Puerto Rican artist Alexis Diaz, of an elephant-octopus hybrid composed of thousands of tiny brush strokes! You really have to see it for yourself to savour the sheer talent of these street art pieces which really are some of the best London has to offer.
5.Camden Lock/Market.
Last but certainly not least, Camden is one of the (if not the) best place to go for street art in London. You can expect to find art portraying various themes such as celebrities, fashion, political issues, British culture and much more. The true beauty of some of Camden’s street art is that you won’t be able to understand it, but this just adds to its appeal and charm. Notably, appearing on most walls, shop doorways and on the side of buildings are street art dedications to the late musical legend Amy Winehouse in all different colours and textures.
www.pinterest.co.ukSo there you have it, a list of the best places to go to see street art in London. But this is not an exhaustive list and the beauty is that new pieces of art keep cropping up over night all across London. Where is your favourite piece? Answer in the comment section below.
Featured Image: Weheartit
