The London Police are due to show in, well, London next month at StolenSpace Gallery. It’s All Fun & Games Until Someone Gets Hurt centers on theme of sport. As the press release notes, “they have totally mistimed their sterling effort of jumping on the Olympic bandwagon,” but hey, those works are complex things and a show around sport is better late than never.
It’s All Fun & Games Until Someone Gets Hurt opens on May 9th (6-9pm) and runs through May 26th. I’m headed to London in late May, so while I’ll miss the opening myself, I’m looking forward to seeing the show in person.
This is an exciting time for The London Police. Celebrating their 10th year in the art world, gracing streets around the world with their iconic LADS characters, Chaz and Bob now celebrate the opening of their first solo show in Newcastle A Night with the London Police, which opened on Thursday and will continue through May 18th. Sorry you missed spending a night with TLP and still in the area? You still have a chance to catch them in action, as they will be painting a large mural in Newcastle.
Amidst all the activity, Chaz was kind enough to divulge some of the lesser known details about The London Police to Vandalog.
Which came first: your signature style or your aptness for vandalism?
My aptness for vandalism started as I was tagging my full name in crayon down the staircase walls in our house when I was 3. I hadn’t learnt that an alias might have helped or that it was wrong to even do it and so my father administered some quick and effective physical abuse to begin my rehabilitation. The signature style LADS characters began 20 years later.
Did you try out other names/styles before you established TLP?
We never had another name before The London Police. TLP was originally making photographs with a view to pasting them up on the streets (which we never did). The characters came later. Bob’s illustrative input later still. Continue reading “An Interview with The London Police”
The London Police are getting ready for their first solo show in Newcastle at Unit 44. A Night with The London Police opens on May 11th (6-9pm) and runs through the 18th. So it’s not actually just one night with TLP, but if their past openings are anything to go by, that will be the night to go and check out the show. In addition to prints and paintings at the show, The London Police will be painting a “huge” new mural while they are in Newcastle.
UPDATE – LOCATION CHANGE: The Underbelly Show has moved to 78 NW 25th Street in Wynwood, Miami to accommodate the large scale of the artwork in this show. The address on this flyer is WRONG.
The Secret Wars painting battle series will be making its way to Miami for this year’s Basel insanity. Secret Wars is a team paint battle where two teams are given 90 minutes to simultaneously paint two walls live in front of a crowd of cheering and partying spectators. Secret Wars Miami is going to take place on December 1st at The Underbelly Show with Chaz (of The London Police), Wayne Horse and Mr. K on one team and Tristan Eaton, Buff Monster and Kano on the other.
Surge, Gaia, Stormie, Remi/Rough and in The Underbelly Project
UPDATE – LOCATION CHANGE: The Underbelly Show has moved to 78 NW 25th Street in Wynwood, Miami to accommodate the large scale of the artwork in this show.
The Underbelly Project is back. Last year, I posteda lotabout the project where 103 artists from around the world secretly painted an abandoned/half-completed New York City subway station. After that initial burst of press here and around the web, The Underbelly Project organizers stayed silent. With only occasional vague tweets from a mysterious twitter account and the appearance on Amazon of an upcoming book about the project. Yesterday though, The Underbelly Project announced that they will be participating in this year’s Basel Miami Week madness with a pop-up gallery in South BeachWynwood.
The organizers of The Underbelly Project and The Underbelly Show, Workhorse and PAC, have this to say about the show:
Workhorse: The New York Underbelly was an important chapter for us, but the story hadn’t been comprehensively told. The Underbelly Miami show gives us a chance to present the broad scope of documentation – Videos, photos, time-lapses and first hand accounts. The project is about more than just artwork. This show gives us a chance to show the people and the environment behind the artwork.
PAC: While the experience each artist had in their expedition underground can never be captured, it is my hope that this show will highlight some of the trials and tribulations associated with urban art taking place in the remote corners of our cities. Too often the practice of making art in unconventional venues remains shrouded in mystery and I hope this exhibition will shine a faint light on those artists who risk their safety to find alternative ways to create and be a part of the cities they live in.
35 of the 103 artists from The Underbelly Project will be exhibiting art in The Underbelly Show, plus video and still footage of the artists at work in the tunnel. Here’s the full line-up: Faile, Dabs & Myla, TrustoCorp, Aiko, Rone, Revok, Ron English, Jeff Soto, Mark Jenkins, Anthony Lister, Logan Hicks, Lucy McLauchlan, M-City, Kid Zoom, Haze, Saber, Meggs, Jim & Tina Darling, The London Police, Sheone, Skewville, Jeff Stark, Jordan Seiler, Jason Eppink and I AM, Dan Witz, Specter, Ripo, MoMo, Remi/Rough, Stormie Mills, Swoon, Know Hope, Skullphone, L’Atlas, Roa, Surge, Gaia, Michael De Feo, Joe Iurato, Love Me, Adam 5100, and Chris Stain.
For this show, the space will be transformed into an environment imitating the tunnel where The Underbelly Project took place, right down to playing sounds recorded in the station while The Underbelly Project was happening.
If you absolutely cannot wait until February to get We Own The Night, the book documenting The Underbelly Project, a limited number will be available at The Underbelly Show in a box set with 9 photographic prints and the book all contained in a handcrafted oak box. Additionally, you will be able to your book signed by the artists participating in The Underbelly Show.
The Underbelly Show will take place at 2200 Collins Avenue, South Beach, Miami78 NW 25th Street, Wynwood, Miami. There will be a private opening on November 30th, and the space will be open to the general public December 2nd-5th, with a general opening on the 2nd from 8-10pm.
Logan Hicks in progress. Photo courtesy of Logan HIcks
Here’s the latest from the T&J Art Walk in Oslo. Previously, we’ve posted about Faile and Shepard Fairey‘s murals for the event, and Brooklyn Street Art has some photos of what The London Police are working on. Most recently, D*face, Galo and Logan Hicks have finished their walls. Art Walk’s indoor exhibition to benefit Human Rights Watch also opened at Blomqvist opened on the 19th. But here are the new walls…
D*face. Photo by Ole Walter JacobsenGalo. Photo by Ole Walter JacobsenLogan Hicks. Photo by Ole Walter JacobsenLogan Hicks. Photo by Ole Walter Jacobsen
Photos by Ole Walter Jacobsen and courtesy of Logan Hicks
Faile have been painting this week in Oslo in preparation for the T&J Art Walk taking place this month for the benefit of Human Rights Watch. Faile are the first artists to get to Olso and start painting for the event, but Shepard Fairey, Logan Hicks, D*face, The London Police, Seen, Fenx, Galo and others will be taking part as well. In addition to 10 murals in central Oslo celebrating the work of Human Rights Watch and memorializing the victims of last month’s terror attack, there will be an exhibition from August 18th through September 4th at the Norwegian auction house Blomqvist for the benefit of Human Rights Watch.
I normally am not this much of an ass, but this was too good to pass up and not post. I have heard about this show at Opera Gallery for awhile now, as I am sure most of you have as well. I may have been able to overlook the ridiculous name of the show, The Street Art Show, because of the incredible line-up: Keith Haring, Jean-Michael Basquiat, Banksy, Blek Le Rat, Seen, Ron English, Logan Hicks, Crash, The London Police, Nick Walker, How & Nosm, Saber, ROA, D*Face, Sweet Toof, Mr. Jago, b., Swoon, Kid Zoom, ALEXONE, Anthony Lister, Alexandrous Vasmoulakis and Rich Simmons, but then I remembered that this is still a show put on by Opera Gallery, the home of the beloved Mr. Brainwash. They do put on good show as well as some really shit ones, and I really do want this to be good, but that association still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Plus I cannot help, but feel a bit suspicious since the show is launching on the heels of Art in the Streets.
The Street Art Show seems to be more for the collectors’ benefit who are still salivating over the interest in the LAMOCA show and want to buy more/start buying some pieces for their own collections. Well, at least Mr. Brainwash isn’t an option this time around, although i am sure he will be again soon enough.
The show opens June 17th at Opera Gallery in London.
Remi/Roughe and Stormie Mills. Photo courtesy of Remi
Here’s a hodge-podge of photos of some of my favorite murals from Miami this year… Probably more to come in future posts as well. Most of these were part of Primary Flight.
Kid Acne, The London Police, Will Barras and Ema. Photo by S.VegasHow and Nosm (click to see a a large size of this wall). Photo by tatscruincInvader. Photo by HargoShepard Fairey and Overunder. Photo by HargoJeff Soto and Maxx242. Photo by S.VegasAmaze by Barry McGee. Photo by S.VegasCash For Your Warhol. Photo by HargoDabs and Myla. Photo courtesy of Thinkspace
