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Posted by Becky | 14th October, 2010
With Nick Walker’s solo show ‘In Gods We Trust’ starting this week, naturally the main topic of conversation in the gallery has recently been about graffiti and urban art. We listened to Nick on Radio 2’s new Art show (Friday 8th Oct) where he brought up the interesting point that graffiti art doesn’t have to be illegal. Everyone knows that graffiti art started on the streets with artists using the walls and pavements of the cities as their canvas, but for an individual intent on making the production of art their reason-d’être, this form of expression soon becomes economically unsustainable.
As the unknown graffiti artist begins to develop a profile, 9 times out of 10 their hopes of turning their talent into a career are raised. Here enters the gallery. Yet unfortunately it seems that this move into a fundamentally commercial setting provokes a less than positive reaction. The point in question here is why shouldn’t an artist make a living from their own work legitimately, as opportunists actively steal/cut/hack off their stencils on the street to sell them for their own profit on the secondary market?
Nick is a classic case of street artist turned prolific contemporary artist, but this doesn’t mean that he hasn’t forgotten his roots. On the first day of The Pope´s recent visit to the UK Nick created his thought provoking stencil of ‘Cardinal Sinister,’ a disturbing characterisation of the Pope as a James Bond villain, on a wall near The Albert Hall. And yes, Nick had been granted permission to use the location. Does this make his depiction of Pope Benedict XVI any less relevant? Absolutely not.
Gilly G
October 16th, 2010
The debate on this one has to be that street artists present a spontaneous statement for the people and that these images are forever changing. However, there are some images that need to be preserved and without galleries they wouldn´t be accessible.
Becky
October 16th, 2010
I completely agree. Take Le Corancan for example, when Nick stenciled this in Paris it lasted for no more than 3 days before being white-washed. Of course, modern media means the image lasts via photographs, videos and the press, but now Nick has transferred the image onto canvas it automatically becomes a permanent part of art history.
Marius
October 24th, 2010
Hi, I’m a big fan of Nick’s and his work shouldn’t just vanish off the planet. It should stick around.
Marilyn Hall
October 26th, 2010
Subjects chosen by street artists can be very controversial so you have to be prepared for negative reactions if you have this type of art hanging in your living room. It’s fine by me though.
Toby
October 27th, 2010
Marilyn – I would like to have this type of art hanging in my living room – but I haven’t got a living room so I want to keep it on the streets.
john
November 9th, 2010
Nick has not done anything new or exciting since the Vandal, he has been pushed into the last 2 shows he has done with less than average works, his secondary market has plummeted. Get back to the street Nick and redo the Vandal era.