One of the enduring qualities about life in East London is our love of street art and graffiti. We have a passion for painting over our decaying streets. Urban art has risen in social status above the work of vandals without a cause and is now a living part of street culture.
Urban art isn’t about bored hoodies with too much time on their hands; it is an urban collective of established artists dedicated to the preservation of street
art. The streets as a canvas is now more than just tagging, it is a form of artistic expression that grips the casual wanderer, and fails to go unnoticed by the swift footfalls of busy feet.
We tend to think of street art as spray painted walls, but stencils, posters and even sculpture prevail should you look deep enough. Shoreditch is alive with artists reinventing the landscape. This essentially makes Shoreditch one of the biggest open, not to mention free, art exhibitions in the capital.
With one of the densest populations of art galleries in London, Shoreditch is an art house on an unprecedented scale. It has become a Bohemian safe haven, but also an area of free expression that allows the very streets to be open to creative interpretation.
The fluid nature of urban art allows the landscape to change continually and refreshes any regular visit to the area. East London has been in a state of flux since London won the Olympic bid. Parts are still rotting and in the midst of this economic depression are artists struggling for a voice, for a stage where their work can be recognised and simply to make a living through creativity.
Hackney is one of the most socially deprived boroughs in London. The borough is in a state of decay, yet it is refreshing to know that Shoreditch is one of the biggest canvases in London, drawing international artists to play a part in its growth of expression.
It is a tight balancing act between urban decay and urban art. It is quite easy for one to become the other. However I am still of the opinion that urban expression should be symbolic of the creative lives that thrive in Shoreditch.
