Beyond the streets

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The exhibition will feature new works, large-scale installations, original ephemera and extraordinary fashion that capture the powerful impact of graffiti & street art across the world and follows successful exhibitions in Los Angeles & New York. Graffiti historian Roger Gastman will curate BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON. Saatchi Gallery exists as a registered charity to provide an innovative platform for contemporary art and culture. We are committed to supporting artists and rendering contemporary art accessible to all. We strive to present projects in physical and digital spaces that are engaging, enlightening and educational for diverse audiences. OUR VALUES Along the way, you’ll be taken through the entire modern history of the art form, from its roots on the underground arts scene, to its influence on music & culture, from the ’70s to present day.

Lloyd boldly takes apart the glamorised images of the sex trade encouraged by some. The author challenges the myths and misperceptions around selling sex as well as the contempt for these girls and women by the authorities and the wider public. Along with others engaged in the battle against sexual exploitation, she is determined to change the lexicon around the subject. ‘Prostitution’ denotes an element of choice that does not reflect the limited agency and complex factors that are at play in the majority of cases, especially for minors. Lloyd is at pains to explain the strong emotional, psychological and even financial ties the girls feel towards those who have exploited them and which makes it even harder to leave for good. The history of graffiti in New York has been around since the 1960’s, but didn’t heavily influence New York til the late 1970’s when the new art form took a rapid spread throughout the city. This is where the history of tagging graffiti came about, during the 70’s when people began tagging their names and works of art across buildings, streets, and sidewalks. The ‘Legends’ chapter will present icons such as legendary NYC artist, Eric HAZE, a torch bearer for generations to come; a new large-scale painting by abstract expressionist artist José Parlá; advertisement posters by KAWS, a prominent creative force; and unique ephemera by Keith Haring, one of the most popular street artists of the 1980s. No area of Saatchi Gallery will be left untouched; visitors will be immersed by works and ephemera on view across hallways, tunnels and staircases and will enter rooms exploring the birth of graffiti like never seen before. These spaces will showcase a wall of Jenny Holzer’s truisms; Henry Chalfant’s photography of NYC train writers in action; together with AIKO’s timeless stenciling of delicate silhouettes and Gordon Matta-Clark’s extraordinary archive of graffiti photography. Following successful exhibitions in Los Angeles & New York, BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON will feature new works, large-scale installations, original ephemera and extraordinary fashion that capture the powerful impact of graffiti & street art across the world.BTS London will be the biggest and most comprehensive street art and graffiti exhibition to arrive in the UK and will, most importantly, celebrate the city’s impact on the medium. “In the mid-90s, there was a street art explosion throughout Europe, with London being one of the key cities at the forefront,” Gastman tells Dazed. “For more than 15 years, it continued to evolve, [birthing] new ideas and new artists.” Between the beginnings of contemporary graffiti in a decaying 1970s New York and the international movement of the present day, the cultural influence and impact of the art form are nearly immeasurable. BTS explores these links deeply, featuring work from cross-cultural icons like Malcolm McClaren, Fab 5 Freddy, FUTURA2000, Goldie, Beastie Boys and Shepard Fairey, whose influence stretches far beyond just art, fashion or music.

The official BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON exhibition catalogue, compiled by Roger Gastman, provides an in-depth look into the world of graffiti and street art’s most iconic figures. This book spans multiple decades and honours the diverse and boundary-pushing stories that helped turn vandalism into contemporary art. Hardbound and 1000+ images. I’m not sure if it’s important to be a successful gallery artist, but graffiti and the streets are certainly a part of me and will be forever. Most of my friends are graffiti writers, most people that work at my studio are writers and, even though I’m very busy doing other things now, I’m very much connected to graffiti culture.

Some artworks are displayed as in traditional galleries – huge frame canvasses interrupting towering walls and swathes of whiteness. They’re left alone, accompanied only by explainers that illuminate the history of London’s streets just beyond the Saatchi’s walls. Other artworks spill over their confines onto the wall; in some cases, the wall itself is the canvas, creating a special ephemerality. Gazing up at these towering installations, I wonder where the art ends and the gallery begins. Perhaps that’s the entire point. VISIT

Each of the exhibition’s chapters will explore exceptional moments in the history of this artistic movement; including the emergence of punk; the birth of hip-hop - marking its 50th anniversary in 2023; and street culture’s strong influence in fashion and film. For a long time, Saatchi Gallery has recognised the energy and dynamism of graffiti & street artists. We are proud to present a show that will showcase amazing art, explore how art & music genres have inspired creatives over time, and bring together iconic artists from around the globe. We are thrilled to be working with Beyond the Streets on an experience that promises to be one of the must-see shows of 2023,” says Saatchi Gallery Director, Paul Foster. The exhibition is a journey through the history of graffiti and street art through the artists that helped originate the movement to the ones that are revolutionising it in more recent years. Inspired by the rich sporting heritage of adidas – one of the world’s leading sports brands and a global designer and developer of athletic footwear and apparel – adidas Originals is a lifestyle brand founded in 2001. With the adidas archive at its foundation, adidas Originals continues to evolve the brand’s legacy through its commitment to product innovation and its ability to filter the creativity and courage found on courts and sporting arenas through the lens of contemporary youth culture. Marked by the iconic Trefoil logo that was first used in 1972 and championed by those that continue to shape and define creative culture, adidas Originals continues to lead the way as the pioneering sportswear brand for the street. adidas.co.uk/originals CategoriesBEYOND THE STREETS was founded by Roger Gastman, producer of the 2010 Academy Award-nominated film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, co-curator of Art in the Streets (2011) at the MoCA in Los Angeles, and director of the SHOWTIME documentary Rolling Like Thunder (2021), a plunge into the underground world of freight train graffiti culture. BEYOND THE STREETS is an art-driven cultural and educational worldwide movement celebrating mark makers and rule breakers, agitators and instigators. Its curation showcases the best of contemporary and emerging artists, with a focus on graffiti and street art creators. Boasting over 100 artist collaborators per show, BEYOND THE STREETS is known for its massive-scale exhibitions, immersive educational experiences, and engaging pop-up events, which have played host to over half a million unique visitors between its shows in Los Angeles, New York, The Hamptons and digital showcases with NTWRK. BEYOND THE STREETS exhibitions have produced over 2.5B media impressions through global art publications, business journals and culture magazines, with new show openings coming to Shanghai and London in 2023. BEYOND THE STREETS is widely recognized for its innovative brand partnerships and premium publications, which include over 75 published and authored book titles, including works for the likes of Martha Cooper, Felipe Pantone, POSE, Paul Insect, DABSMYLA and Beastie Boys, amongst others. BEYOND THE STREETS pushes the very idea of art beyond any preconceived boundary. www.beyondthestreets.com The closing chapters consist of ‘Social Commentary: Graffiti as a message’; ‘Art with Conscience’ containing works by hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy, and; ‘Consideration Into Innovation’ showcasing Lisbon-based artist, VHILS, who innovatively utilizes repurposed materials to reimagine city walls. In the final chapter ‘The Next Phase’ visitors will engage with new op-art works by Valencia based artist Felipe Pantone, whose high-contrast, geometric patterns continue to challenge perspective resulting in a distinctive aesthetic of the digital age. Lloyd’s resilience makers her more than a survivor or even the fitting, but now clichéd, inspiration. She’s a walking miracle and whether or not they realise it, so are all those who have been down a similar path and lived to tell the tale, regardless of where they are in the recovery process. Even those yet to begin.

Yet amazingly, the author achieves all this without being sanctimonious. The reader feels better informed rather than sermonised. So where did graffiti originate from and how long has graffiti been around? The history of graffiti is synonymous with the documentation of the art form. Inevitably, this means books. And there are a ton of graffiti books on the subject, so much so that after nearly 50 years, there are new titles each year that build even more lore of graffiti's impact. But it's not just books by photographers. Artists themselves have documented the culture, and even some museum catalogs have captured the unique essence of what makes graffiti one of the most enduring of art movements.

The All In One Graffiti Book 

In the next few weeks, we will release our own new graffiti book, Nation of Graffiti Artists, a long-awaited collection of photos and words by Chris "Freedom" Pape on a unique evolution in graffiti and street art in early 1970's NYC. An excerpt: