Last year I joined British artist Nick Walker on a special mission, as he wanted to  develop his vandal series with a Paris focus.  From accompanying him on Paris rooftops to get some inspiration, to following the different steps of the creative process, it’s been a very exciting journey and here are some behind the scene pics.

Full set of pics by Butterfly here

On June 23rd Nick Walker will be releasing The Morning After Paris print version, an edition of 150, available in person only at Opera Gallery Paris.

TMA Paris printer proof by the artist.

The Morning After Paris – Print release
23 June 2012 at 2 pm
Opera Gallery Paris
356 Rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris, France.

For those outside of Paris, there will be a lottery in place.
Please email info@theartofnickwalker.com with ‘TMA Paris Lottery’ in the subject line to participate. Winners will be contacted shortly after the release.

In response to the  upcoming Jubilee Celebration in June, marking the Queen’s 60-year reign, a new Banksy stencil appeared in Turnpike Lane, North London, featuring a young kid working on a sewing machine. While some of the Union Jack flags didn’t last long, the one on the sewing machine has been screwed onto the wall…

Xavier Prou aka Blek Le Rat opened a new exhibition at the Opera Gallery in London. Despite exhibiting all over the world, this is the French artist’s first London exhibition since 2008. With this being his 30 year career anniversary, the new body of work pays tribute to the people that inspired him from his childhood including figures from the Renaissance era as well as people he met during his travels. He also celebrates “Street Art” as in “Arts in the Streets” with his street dancer and musicians.

Many graffiti and street artists joined the frenzy crowd at the private opening including Risk, Remi/Rough, Stik, Ben Slow to name a few.

Fans started queuing overnight for a chance to get one of the 100 free signed prints by Blek. The next morning 300 persons were waiting around the block.

View the full set of pics here

Blek Le Rat
27th April 2012 – 17th May 2012
Opera Gallery
134 New Bond Street
London W1S 2TF

First featured at the 1000 exhibition in Paris (covered here), this video by Raphael Haddad follows Space Invader as he attacks the streets, providing great insights into his creative process.

On August 12, 2010,  French graffiti artists Lek and Sowat found an abandoned supermarket of 430,000sq. ft  in the north of Paris. For a year, in the greatest of secrets they invited forty French graffiti artists to collaborate and create an illegal graffiti Mausoleum.

As the monument  is not accessible for safety reasons, Lek and Sowat  recreated a few murals and installations in an abandoned apartment to share their experience with the public .

During the two years, they discovered traces of life from squatters that left in a rush.  For the exhibition, the artists brought back  toys, letters and objects as a tribute to the families living in the Mausolee.

An installation made of found signage on site, staff instructions and reports reminds of the golden days of the supermarket as key role to the community.

The opening was also the occasion to celebrate the release of the book (available here) and a video retracing all the visual process of this adventure.

The stop motion video made of 8000 pictures is now visible online

More info on the project and participating artists at mausolee.net

After portraying large scale monochrome animals in London’s city streets and on derelict buildings all over the world, Belgium artist ROA returns to London for a solo show titled ‘Hypnagogia’ at Stolenspace. The exhibition is held in two spaces, featuring installation work & originals on recycled found-objects, as well as outdoor work across east London.

The title of the show refers to the transitional state between sleeping and awake. ROA explores the ‘interstate’ with his portrayals of sleeping animals, whilst quietly around us the world awakens from a long winter, and the creatures he depicts experience a period of seasonal transition.  Interaction plays also a significant part in the artworks as moving panels or drawers reveal another side of the animals, whether an half skeleton or part organ dissection.

To coincide with this show opening will also be the launch of the artist first book ‘Roa: ‘An Introduction To Animal Representation’ by Mammal Press, an hand crafted book featuring ROA’s art around the world through photographs, sketches, and reference material with 2 screen prints enclosed.

View the full set of picshere

‘Hypnagogia’ By ROA
Solo Show & Book Launch
20.04.12 – 06.05.12

Stolenspace, Truman Brewery
The Stone Masons, 17 Osborne Street London E1 6TD.

Imagine an abandoned four storey supermarket in the North of Paris occupied by squatters, then deserted again. On August 12, 2010, French graffiti artists Lek (RAW crew) and Sowat (DMV) discovered the place much to their delight.

For a year, in the greatest of secrets, both artists continuously wandered in this 430,000 sq ft monument to paint murals and organize an illegal artistic residency. They invited forty French graffiti artists to collaborate, from the first to the last generation of the graffiti movement. Together they built a Mausolee, a temple dedicated to their disappearing underground culture. There’s always been a constant battle between street art and graffiti,  and this project clearly puts graffiti back on.

On 12 April Lek and Sowat will share their experience through an installation and video. Advance copies of the book documenting the entire visual process will also be available prior to the official release.

Due to the nature of the place, very few people have seen it in person. After crossing a train rack, going through a narrow corridor full of rubbish and climbing a 13 ft high metal gate with spikes, the access is by no mean easy. Traces of previous occupants are still visible: abandoned burnt cars, variety of objets scattered accross the four floors, as well as remains of the supermarket signage. Leveraging found material in-situ such as cling film, surreal installations and murals adorn the building.

Further pics here

More info on mausolee.net

French scratch DJ group Scratch Bandits Crew have collaborated with graffiti artist Brusk  for their new record “31 Novembre”, coming out on 9th April 2012.

Brusk designed the album cover with his colourful lines and trademark style, but also worked with motion designer ice©ream on the video of their first single “Heart Beat” from the album. This video unveiled the visual part of the 2012 live show.

With the sun shining and scaffolding removed, wraps have come off London’s largest graffiti mural, covering two sides of a six-storey building in King’s Cross. Members of the Agents of Change crew with London based Remi/Rough, Edinburgh’s Steve More, LX.One from Paris, LA-based Augustine Kofie created this colourful geometrical artwork using over 500 litres of spray paint.

More pics here

Wandering through the streets of Melbourne, here is a selection of street and graffiti art, from Anthony Lister, Swoon to local artists like Reka, Fred Fowler, the AWOL crew with Adnate and Slicer.

More pics here