Street art, phenomenon in London of the 1990s, developed from graffiti art, a phenomenon of the 80s, and is today a regular occurrence on London’s streets; in some areas it is ubiquitous. The appeal of street art includes its unpredictability, illegality, the challenge it poses to authority, the altruism of the street artist, and the romance and poetry of the work. Exposed to the ravages of urban life, street art can be considered transient, delicate, beautiful and fragile – as a butterfly or wild flower in spring. Done well, it reaches out and touches the soul, increasing the quality of your emotions as you trudge through the city
The streets of London have been a canvas for guerrilla artist Banksy’s work for more than 10 years. Cropping up on walls around the city, he stencils pictures of people and animals engaged in unexpected behaviour. Some of the art makes a hard-hitting political point, while other works are extremely funny
Other street artists to look out for include Eine, who paints huge and brightly coloured words and letters, and Stik, whose stick men can be found across Shoreditch and East London.
On the Alternative London Walking Tour, the capital’s longest-running street art tour, one will see works by the likes of Banksy, ROA, Shepard Fairey, Jimmy C, Invader and Stik. The pay-what-you-like tour runs every day, with a special Street Art Tour & Workshop taking place on on Sunday.
Public Art
Check out the Fourth Plinth. There are four plinths near the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. The first three have statues of George IV and two generals. The fourth was supposed to be home to a statue of a horse, but the money ran out in the 1840s and the plinth was left empty for more than 150 years. he fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is home to new public sculpture.
The plinth was built in 1841 but there wasn’t enough money to put a sculpture on it at the time. In recent years it has been home to new sculpture
And there are more than 60 artworks across the borough of Lewisham, from the traditional to witty murals by Artmongers to popular pieces such as the Catford Cat. Public art commissions come and go; see the Lewis ham Council website for the latest public artworks, including details of the artists, year of installation and commissioning bodies, as well as a downloadable public art map.
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