Around this time of year London is full up with prim and proper art shows. There are so many clean, well tended spaces out there to tell you this is what art is about, and this is the latest etc etc – but this space is a little different. Sure its as central as you can get, Covent Garden is slap bang in the middle of the tourist dollar track – but Watch This Space came up with a gem here………
DIY London Seen is vibing off the release of “Beautiful Losers” – a documentary exploring the rise of New Yorks infamous Alleged Gallery – which helped the likes of Ed Templeton, Shepard Fairey and the Gonz come through and immerge as international artists in their own right. The art on display here is all in that same DIY ethic – that skate-punk-graff-hiphop mentality.
Based in Covent Garden Market, Art Tank loaned this small space on the ground floor and the more substantial catacombs below to house the varied work of around two dozen artists. Greeting you at the door, is a 6foot tall Grizzly Bear, covered in mirrors courtesy of Slam City’s Aaron Gregory, that sets the “anything goes” tone off perfectly.
The out of town talent is supplied in the form of photography of the Alleged Gallery by Cheryl Dunn and Ivory Serra while local artists stray off in their own, unshackled artistic directions. The variation of work is random to say the least, from mock Andre the Giant/Obey imagery to more cutting edge edges pieces more akin to the Lazarides galleries.
Beautiful Losers is available on DVD now, (trailer below) look out for a review on here soon.
Phil Procter