Street art has long become a familiar and increasingly innovative staple of the capital, due to the likes of famous street artists such as Stik, D*Face and of course, Banksy gracing the city’s walls. Due to the ever changing nature of graffiti, there are always new works springing up across the capital. The art experts behind IBA – The International Body of Art, unveil the best places to view public art in London.
- Brick Lane and Shoreditch
Being particularly famous for its art, there are plenty of examples of eclectic murals in this corner of the city. Spend any amount of time wandering through Brick Lane and Shoreditch and you’ll find works by artists like Mr Cenz, Dreph, Dale Grimshaw and Shephard Fairey. You could spend days traversing Shoreditch and Brick Lane and you still wouldn’t be able to find all of the pieces.
- Leake Street Tunnel
Leake Street Tunnel was one of the early spotlights for London’s burgeoning graffiti scene and one of the best places to scope out street art today. Starting in 2007, when Banksy hosted a graffiti festival down in the tunnel and invited his network of street artists to adorn it.
Leake Street is now London’s largest legal wall, meaning anyone can contribute to it. Its unregulated nature means that the quality of the final pieces vary, but it also means that viewers are guaranteed to see a new piece going up during their visit.
- Camden
Camden’s reputation as on of London’s most unique neighborhoods extends to the amount of street art you can find dotted around the area, although more spread out than in Shoreditch there are great pieces there if you know where to look. Hawley Mews, Castlehaven Road, Miller Street and the back of Electric Ballroom are good places to start.
- Croydon
Croydon has come out hitting hard as one of the hubs of London’s graffiti scene, which would have felt out of the question fifteen years ago. Thanks to the work of gallerist Kevin Zuchowski-Morrison whose former Rise Gallery and KZM Studios firmly put Croydon on the street art map. Last year, Croydon’s street art scene culminated in a Banksy pop up that saw viewers forming a queue around the block to take a look.
- Brixton
Whereas some of London’s street art areas feel more like an exclusive stomping ground for well-known artists, Brixton remains a bit more varies. There are pieces by well-know street artists such as Mr Cenz and Dreph, but viewers are also guaranteed to come across pieces by artists they’ve never heard of as well.
