Gaia in Newcastle, UK

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The SwanLion Upon Africa

Gaia was in Newcastle, UK last month for some murals organized by Unit44. I’ve got photos of the wall here, but I think the video Gaia made with Unit44 is even more interesting. In it, he speaks about the challenges of being a muralist/street artist trying to do more than just impose advertising (aka street art) onto communities. I don’t agree with everything he says, but he makes some very valuable and interesting points.

The Sheep Above Byker Wall
The Sheep Above Byker Wall

Photos by David Bilbrough

Weekend link-o-rama

GoddoG

It’s time to talk about what other people have been talking about:

Photo by GoddoG

An Interview with The London Police

Photo by Lord Jim

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 head to Newcastle

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.

Photo courtesy of Unit 44

Phil Lumbang at Unit44

Phil Lumbang is the first American to have a show at Newcastle’s Unit 44 gallery. Lumbang is known for his cartoon characters like his trademark bear, his work with The Hundreds and for being an assistant to Shepard Fairey. Even people (and I sometimes include myself in this category) who usually get sick and tired of the artists who build their brands based on repetitive logos might enjoy Lumbang. Unlike Shepard Fairey or D*face for example, Lumbang’s characters may be repetitive but they are also fun and a bit heartwarming. Who could say “no” to a mural that just tries to make people smile? I’m excited to see how he is received in the UK. New Arrival opens on February 3rd at Unit 44.

PS, the guys at Very Nearly Almost have a little teaser of the show.

Herkaut installation at Onethirty3

Onethirty3‘s most recent exhibition – Herakut – opened it’s doors for one night only on Thursday. Both Hera and Akut had spent the week painting the space in Newcastle’s Hoults Yard which is fast becoming a hub for street art in the North East. The German duo’s work paid off, the walls looked incredible and a great night was had by all. The highlight for me was Akut’s photo realistic paintings which used the colours from the previous Paul Insect/Sickboy exhibition to enhance the work.

Photos by Ben