With the rise in infamy of artists like Banksy, street art is becoming increasingly legitimised by the mainstream art world. The launch this summer of a gallery dedicated to street art in one of London’s wealthiest boroughs could suggest that street art has become so accepted that it has lost some of its anarchic spark. Street artists should be afforded the recognition their work deserves. So often working under pseudonyms (the legality of street art is often hazy at best), galleries such as this one give street artists a platform to gain recognition and to sell their work.
Dulwich’s affiliation with street art began in 2012 when artist Stik collaborated with Ingrid Beazley of the Dulwich Picture Gallery to make modern reinterpretations of old artworks. Other artists joined to create the Street Art, Fine Art: Dulwich Outdoor Gallery. You can follow the trail of over 30 outdoor works, from 21 international artists. In 2013 an entire vacant house was taken over by street artists to create an urban wonderland of surprise and discovery.
This summer, the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery Indoors launched. Just a single room, it can really be considered as the gift shop for the Outdoor Gallery trail. But what a gift shop! Kristjana S Williams’ fine illustrations of animals layered over London maps sit alongside Ben Wilson’s chewing gum on brick pieces. Joyce Treasure’s thought provoking afrocentric works on cultural identity are opposite Thierry Noir’s iconic bright heads.
The gallery is a celebration of this often maligned art form. It is well worth following the outdoor trail and visiting the indoor gallery to see just how far street art has progressed in the public’s mind. Dulwich has become an area that not only permits street art, it positively glows with it.
You can find it here: 84 Dulwich Village, SE21 7AJ
Contact them: iab@streetartdulwich.org.uk / 020 8693 6520
Like them on Social Media: www.facebook.com/DulwichOutdoorGallery
