Taking it to the Streets

I have spent the last two weeks exploring the now “high street” world of street art. From Banksy’s drum major role at the Cans Festival a couple weeks ago, to the Lazarides pop up space opening on Charing Cross last week, street art is now retail art. Your name has to be on some stuffy guest list or standing in a cue for hours just to peep the Pope’s imitation of Marilyn Monroe. Not to get it twisted, I’m all for bringing art and culture to the masses – matter of fact most of us have spent our careers on exporting those dreamscape ideas. But to watch that same world commercialize the format that made it so appealing to us concrete jungle slickers, leaves us no longer inspired by the random bouquet holding rat stencil that greeted us in a bleak alley way. Take it back to the streets please!