Words and photos by Phil Procter
Until this autumn street art in London was pretty much the reserve of East London and the white wall gallery spaces – but with One Foot in the Grove, the Mutate Britain crew (and friends) have put a solid marker down for the West on Portobello Road. The first part of this show was a huge success with and the remix show is opening on the 4th December with some added treats.
The initial show which ran last month attracted some big names back to the ‘grove, with the legendary Mode2 making a triumphant return to the Westway but instead of having Futura 2000 tagging alongside him, heavy hitters like Best Ever, Paul Insect and Part2ism supplied the graff’ to name a few. The Mutoid Waste Company destroyed any feeling of reality with their surreal sculptured visions – making a perfect fusion of mediums; to call this “art” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
Mutoid Waste have really got metal abuse down to a fine art – from stomping robot/dinosaurs made from helicopters to fire breathing juggernauts, its so hard to put in to words, the iron age has truly come back to life, think Mad Max crossed with Jurassic Park and you will be somewhere close to the creations Joe Rush and Sam Haggerty’s crew have unleashed here.
This collective of artists is just what Portobello has been lacking for so long now. It’s always had positive, creative vibes from the markets, skate parks and bars, but rarely the intent to link up to create something en masse. One Foot in the Grove, has served as a concrete lined melting pot for these artists, and pushed them to create a huge collection of new works from over 50 artists.
The reopening of the show promises to build on the solid foundation of the first with added works and more additions to the gallery room, which will be freshly stocked with prints and original art as well as clothing, sculptures and not forgetting the food and fully licensed bar of course!
Expect to see works from Shepard Fairey, D*face, Nick Walker and Word to Mother amongst many more!
Opening times:
Opens December 4th to December 20th – FRI / SAT / SUN
FRI 12-10pm / SAT 12-10pm (NO ENTRY AFTER 9PM)
SUN 12-9pm (NO ENTRY AFTER 8PM)
You will be able to get into this exhibition on Saturday 12th December for £2 (instead of £3) as part of the Crossfire Xmas Jam and will be able to get a discounted pass at the door of Bay 66 skatepark on entry to the jam if you ask for one. This is one day out this year not too miss! Watch a video of the previous show here: