Contemporary Graffiti in the UK

More than just the hub of London

3

Artist Profiles IG @pref_id @voyder @45rpmwhat Location London, UK PhotogrAphy Jordan Katz / Montana-Cans Voyder 45RPM PREF ID

Graffiti and its peripheral disciplines happen everywhere, every day, constantly. Some cities are famous for their train scene, others for the mural seen. But in an area as diverse and populated as the UK, there is always a little (or a lot) of everything happening all at once. With most of its terrain being connected by land, travel is easy and a UK artist can be just as active in the south as they can be in the north at any given time if they can transport themselves from place to place. But there is one epicenter that all gravitate to at some point. No other city on earth ticks quite like London. And as such, no other creative scene nurtures graffiti, urban art, street art and fine art quite like London does.

6

1 Permanent or not, in cities like London where legality is fluid, there are always Halls Of Fame that come and go like this one in Shoreditch.

2 Not dissimilar to any other design or fine art studio, PREF’s workspace does not give away his graffiti heritage.

3 In this homage to the Montana MARBLE EFFECT red color, VOYDER brings illusion to epic proportions. 4 Some of the best places to paint are those that are off the beaten track, as PREF shows here while walking through the inner suburban jungles of London.

5 Inspiration comes in all forms. You just need to have your eyes open to realize it.

6 Striking, clever and funny. 45RPM’s walking hand design proves that the pink and black color way are always in fashion. 7 Using bomb imagery while dropping street bombs. 45RPM can connect the visual dots on the street just as well as in the studio.

But it is not all blue skies and happy days. The many spots surrounding the city’s South and East are cloaked in a blanket of uncertainty. Although there are clear legal open halls of fame, what is one day a legal wall can the following day be a place for on the spot fines and being escorted away. Even this, however, adds to the city’s charm and gives more kudos to those artists that manage to rise above the norm and take their artwork to more openly celebrated spots and later the world. One of those spots is Shoreditch in East London. A known meeting point for street art, graffiti, and fine art lovers, if it isn’t the great food and cool bars that get you hooked, then maybe it’s the wall you’ve got to paint that is frequented by the many street art tours with international visitors. All recording your work for instant multiplication online in cities and countries far and wide. The list of talented writers from the UK could go on for miles and miles. But in a creative hub like London, not everyone stands out. In 2019 we had the chance to get a little closer to three extremely talented writers who are holding the torch up high for UK graffiti. Those artists were 45RPM, VOYDER and PREF ID.

Although there are clear legal open halls of fame, what is one day a legal wall can the following day be a place for on the spot fines and being escorted away.

8 Big Brother watching, or a graffiti artist in disguise getting a photo of their illegal painting? In his design work, consciously or not 45RPM triggers feelings and emotions from the graffiti game.

9 45RPM extending on the timeless graffiti notion that »everybody’s got their own arrows« 9

Take yourself back to 1999. Not quite London but not that far from it either, 45RPM started his quest to merge humor, graffiti and illustration into the unique style that he boasts today. His self confessed, »Goofy Nonsense« not only brightens any surface he graces, but it also brings a smile to your dial as characters interact with the letters he has perfected.

10 Outline, Montana GOLD cans and beverages. The classic combination for a day at the wall. Umbrella's not included.

His self confessed, »Goofy Nonsense« not only brightens any surface he graces, but it also brings a smile to your dial as characters interact with the letters he has perfected

The space some writers use to package one word into is for PREF the opportunity to encapsulate a complete phrase.

11 PREF exhibits confidence and comfort in the materials and tools he uses. The result, a precision that shines through in triumph on his final artworks.

12 Although it may say »THE END«, visually it is a beginning. The right phrases and word combinations become the keys to new forms and artworks.

13 With a »less is more« approach, PREF often uses less colors and more tonal variation within the color, or colors used. 11

With an air of seriousness and a very definite commitment to typography, we also had the privilege to delve into the world of London artist PREF. With twenty plus years of experimentation under his belt, PREF of the ID crew continued amazing onlookers in 2019 with his re-invention of phrases that are cleverly camouflaged within words. The space some writers use to package one word into is for PREF the opportunity to encapsulate a complete phrase. It is not only visually satisfying but also sports a built-in message.

With twenty plus years of experimentation under his belt, PREF of the ID crew continued amazing onlookers in 2019 with his reinvention of phrases that are cleverly camouflaged within words.

14 Graffiti artists spent decades running away from poor quality watery paint. However with the aid of premium quality Montana GOLD TRANSPARENT colors, the contemporary VOYDER knows exactly how to make transparency a winning aesthetic.

15 Mask, gloves, Montana GOLD and a ladder. The basic must-haves in the VOYDER tool kit.

Originating from the English city of Bristol our next impressive artist VOYDER, took us back to visual mastery of days gone by. Similar to that of renaissance times, in a quiet moment alone he informed us that a 2–3 year hiatus from graffiti was exactly the time he chose to hone his skills with a brush. The result when back on the cans was a transformation from overworked graffiti paintings to precision-based strippedback style. A re-birth of such for him which took him on the path he is on today.

in a quiet moment alone he informed us that a 2–3 year hiatus from graffiti was exactly the time he chose to hone his skills with a brush.

16

Apart from the streets of London themselves, with top-end locations to see art like The Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, BSMT Gallery, and Stolenspace, it is no wonder the city creates such diverse and eclectic talent. Whatever your need for inspiration or the creative period that you are influenced by, London has it all. And for artists like VOYDER, PREF, and 45RPM, the proof is in the pudding.

16 With a keen eye and a solid understanding of composition and scale, VOYDER exhibits skills similar to that of a renaissance painter.

Whatever your need for inspiration or the creative period that you are influenced by, London has it all.