As promised, here’s a more detailed review of the Saints and Sinners exhibition that artrepublic is putting on at the St. Martin’s Lane Hotel.
Last night was all about street art at the St. Martin’s Lane Hotel. Collectors and salespeople crowded into a front room to look at the 50-some pieces from artists ranging from Dolk to Asbestos. Not every piece was fantastic, but there was something for everybody. I’m hoping to get back to the show again though, because the opening was pretty crowded, and with 50 pieces in one tiny room, it was hard to take it all in.
One great thing about the show was the size of the work. There weren’t and 10×10 foot canvases that would go straight to storage. Everything was managably sized (except perhaps the C215 trunk, but sculpture is inherently hard to place anyway).
The best example of this is probably the Nick Walker canvas. One of his beautiful butterfly canvases was for sale (a unique one-off I think), and instead of his usual scale, he’s made this one just 74 x 61 cm. Walker’s piece is one of the highlights of the show, but also one of the most expensive at £9000.
The largest piece was a Charming Baker. “Crucifixation” was at his recent show at the Signal Gallery. I’m a big Charming Baker fan, and this was one of the highlights of that solo show. Of course, it isn’t without controversy, what with the slightly blasphemous subject matter and all, but that’s just part of art.
Asbestos was another artist with just one piece in the show, but it was a good one. If you don’t already know Asbestos, check out his website. He does quite cool work, mostly paintings of faces and hands (including the hands of people like Irvine Welsh and D*Face). His piece at Saints and Sinners is a self-portrait, but we don’t see too much. He’s almost completely covered in police line tape. For more on Asbestos and his work, check back later this week when I’ll be posting an interview with him.
Other highlights include a work by Mau Mau and Mr. Brainwash.
