London
C215, Christiaan Nagel, Eine, Mobstr, Pablo Delgado, Phlegm, Roa, Run, Skewville, Space Invader, Stik and Swoon
Shoreditch, London — December 2012 — The Street Museum of Art (SMoA) is pleased to announce the launch of its second exhibition, Beyond Banksy: Not Another Gift Shop, currently on view throughout the streets of Shoreditch, London. Featuring the found work of C215, Christiaan Nagel, Eine, Mobstr, Pablo Delgado, Phlegm, Roa, Run, Skewville, Space Invader, Stik, and Swoon, Beyond Banksy is the first of SMoA’s international exhibitions, adopting the guerrilla tactics of a street artist in its curation overseas. Following the inaugural exhibition, launched in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this autumn, Beyond Banksy is an illegal guide through the streets of Shoreditch — highlighting the diversity of this rich subversive art scene.
Beyond Banksy is an exhibition of a select group of artists working in a variety of mediums throughout London — from sculpture, print and painting to installations, mosaics and miniature wheat pastes. Their styles are unique and vary greatly — giving each of them a signature aesthetic and allowing their work to become easily recognizable and familiar. The only thing that each of these artists share in common with one another is their use of the urban environment as a platform, enabling the public to see and interact with their work. The city is their primary medium.
When talking on the subject of street art, it seems there will always be at least one person in the conversation to ask: ‘Do you mean like Banksy?’ As the art world slowly becomes keen to the importance of this radical art movement, there are still many generalisations being made as to what ‘street art’ constitutes — essentially limiting one’s understanding of its full potential. To answer this question, the Street Museum of Art has travelled to the streets of London, highlighting the work of twelve international artists, none of which being Banksy. This is not to diminish the significance of UK’s beloved stencil artist in any way, but rather to encourage an appreciation for the larger breadth of this movement beyond the work of one particular artist. As the urban environment is increasingly consumed by redundant tourist attractions and souvenir shops, this exhibition offers an alternative experience — encouraging the public to discover their cities from an entirely new perspective.
