graffiti, neon murals & adidas outfits flood saatchi gallery in 'beyond the streets' art exhibition

BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON at Saatchi Gallery

From train writers to large-scale muralists, Saatchi Gallery brings together more than 100 internationally renowned street artists for an unprecedented exhibition titled ‘BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON’. The show, supported by Adidas Originals, runs from February 17 to May 7, 2023, featuring a wide range of graffiti murals, large-scale installations, original ephemera, and fashion that occupy all three floors of the gallery.

Curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman, the exhibition explores the fundamental human need for public self-expression and highlights artists with roots in graffiti and street art whose work has evolved into highly disciplined studio practices, as well as important cultural figures inspired by this art scene. Featured artists include Felipe Pantone, FUTURA2000 GOLDIE, Gordon Matta-Clark, Guerrilla Girls, Jamie Reid, Jenny Holzer, KAWS and many others.

Saatchi Gallery London, presents BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, 17 February – 9 May with headline supporter Adidas Originals

where Music and Art Converge

In the exhibition’s first chapter, ‘Music & Art Converge,’ visitors explore the sociopolitical turmoil of the late 1970s and 1980s, when urban decline was met with artistic resistance, a development felt in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Youth culture responded by painting graffiti on walls and public transportation, creating art that reflected and reinterpreted the times in an explosion of expression on the streets. This section features works including the legendary 30-foot painting of FUTURA2000, created on stage with The Clash, as well as contributions from Malcolm McLaren, MODE2, and American photojournalist Martha Cooper. Visitors are also invited to browse and enjoy music at Trash Records, an interactive installation in a fully recreated record store.

No area of the Saatchi Gallery (find more here) is left untouched; visitors are immersed in the works and ephemera on display in the hallways, tunnels, and stairwells. Within the rooms of the gallery, guests can find a wall of Jenny Holzer’s truisms, Henry Chalfant’s photographs of New York train writers in action, AIKO’s timeless stencils of intricate silhouettes, and Gordon Matta-Clark’s extraordinary archive of graffiti photography.

Saatchi Gallery London, presents BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, 17 February – 9 May with headline supporter Adidas Originals

dream galleries and legends

The ‘Dream Galleries’ chapter focuses on a selection of American and European creators, photo-documentarians, and cultural icons who have helped contextualize graffiti culture and spread it throughout the world. André Saraiva’s Dream Series visually depicts how graffiti, street art, hip-hop, punk, fashion, and breakdancing emerged from the late 1970s and early 1980s into the 1990s and today, becoming a hybrid celebration of underground culture. Featured artists also include Mister CARTOON, best known for his Los Angeles tattoos and murals, an extraordinary Beastie Boys installation featuring fashion and ephemera from the band’s long history, and the feminist murals, illustrations and paintings of LADY PINK.

The ‘Legends’ chapter features icons such as legendary New York artist Eric HAZE, a torchbearer for generations to come, a new large-scale painting by abstract expressionist José Parlá, advertising posters by KAWS, a preeminent creative force, and unique ephemera by Keith Haring, one of the most popular street artists of the 1980s.

The ‘Blockbusters’ chapter includes works specially commissioned for this exhibition by graffiti pioneers Shepard Fairey ( LA) and FAILE (Brooklyn), a duo of artists who have been taking over the streets of New York City since the late 1990s.

Saatchi Gallery London, presents BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, 17 February – 9 May with headline supporter Adidas Originals

larger-than-life cosmic cavern

The ‘Larger Than Life’ chapter includes a site-specific large-scale installation by icon Kenny Scharf ( LA), who will present the largest ‘Cosmic Cavern’ to date, an immersive and interactive installation composed of Day-Glo paintings, ephemera and repurposed materials found in the streets of LA. This chapter will also feature the signature puppet figures made from recycled materials by Paul Insect, one of the pioneers of London street art.

The ‘Timeline’ chapter offers an in-depth look at the history of street culture through archival photographs, ephemera, and fashion to contextualize the cross-pollination of influences from music, fashion, and film. This chapter will also feature a large wall vinyl by the infamous feminist collective Guerrilla Girls – a deliberate nod to the fact that most street and graffiti artists, and most well-known artists in contemporary art as a whole, are men.

Saatchi Gallery London, presents BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, 17 February – 9 May with headline supporter Adidas Originals

graffiti as a message

The concluding chapters consist of ‘Social Commentary: Graffiti as a Message,’ ‘Art with a Conscience’ with works by hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy, and ‘Consideration Into Innovation’ with Lisbon-based artist VHILS, who uses recycled materials in innovative ways to redesign city walls.

In the final chapter, ‘The Next Phase,’ visitors can engage with new op-art works by Valencia-based artist Felipe Pantone, whose high-contrast, geometric patterns continually challenge perspective and create a distinctive digital-age aesthetic.