Beyond the streets exhibition
What better way to spend a rainy Wednesday morning in London than going to a graffiti & street art exhibition? We hit the streets of West London, headed to Beyond the Streets at the Saatchi Gallery in Kensington; three full floors worth of colour, art installations, sculptures, memorabilia, history, culture and much more.
This exhibition really does do exactly what it says on the tin, it takes you beyond the streets. It’s equally educational as it is entertaining and nostalgia inducing. The multi-room tour is a deep dive into the amalgamation of street art, graffiti, music, fashion, hip hop, punk rock and the incredible artists that orchestrated these areas of creativity to collide.
It’s an exploration of cultural shifts and how they’ve changed people’s view of underground art and culture, creating a worldwide creative revolution which still exists today.
The show was cleverly curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman, appropriately sponsored by Adidas Originals and is definitely worth a visit.
heaps of bands and musicians of the past 20 years (and before) have worked with artists and leaned into graffiti & street art culture to help bring their music into the world and create a specific aesthetic for their brand or album campaign.
And in some cases it’s the musicians themselves that also wear the hat of a visual artist, just like Robert “3D” Del Naja, who co-founded Massive Attack in the late 80s and made the artwork above.
the convergence of music and art is showcased in the aptly name chapter of the exhibition: music & art converge.
from this it’s clear to see the impact street art culture has had on music artists for so many years and to this day.
This includes artists from a very wide range of styles and genres.
Blondie, the clash, the sex pistols, public enemy, the beastie boys are just a few of the well known artists whose styles have been heavily influenced by this thriving culture.
No stone is left unturned at Beyond the Streets and every inch of the Saatchi gallery has been thoughtfully used to present the work.
Even the walls surrounding the lift lobby below had a facelift courtesy of Shepard Fairey. (Emphasis on face and lift).
beyond the streets attracts exhibition goers of all ages and people from far and wide.
art fans/music fans/fans of general coolness and culture are engulfed into an instagram-story-worthy couple of hours, witnessing the works of some spectacular artists including: Kaws, keith haring, lady pink, faile, fab 5 freddy, zephyr and tons more.
as i reached the final room i felt a few things: inspired, educated, awestruck and inspired once again. inspired by how much of an effect street art has had on music, fashion and culture and how it continues to do the same all these many years later.
My only regret is not buying that skateboard as I made my exit through the gift shop…
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the EXHIBITION is on until may 9 so if you haven’t been, get your tickets here. for our australian & international friends who can’t make it, we’ve put together a few of our favourites from the show below, enjoy.
Faile x shepard fairey
graffiti train wall
Music posters & graphics
the mighty vhils
faile
Paul insect
more graffiti trains
vhils deconstructed billboard posters
so fresh, so clean by shepard fairey
CONOR harrington
goldie graffiti piece
felipe pantone
