Street Artist Stik - Solo Show 3rd-26th March

PREVIEW WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 

6-9 PM
LIVE GRAFFITI BY STIK
EXHIBITION 3-26 MARCH 2011

SINGLE MUM 2011 silkscreen print 45 x 112 cm - edition of 50

Stik’s latest solo show at the Subway Gallery features a Live Graffiti event on the opening night, an installation comprised of four large
light-boxes and hosts the long awaited launch of the new high quality print edition “Single Mum” produced by Squarity.  As always there will be smaller,affordable pieces on sale too at this free show.

Live painting by Stik on Saturdays throughout the month.

 
If you’ve visited East London in the last ten years you’ll doubtless have seen the huge mysterious stick figures lurking on the sides of buildings and billboards. Deceptively simple in form, with just six lines each and dots for eyes, they are packed with subtle form and emotion. They are the work of street artist Stik, who having spent many years homeless and working
on the streets, knows the city from the inside and manages to reach seemingly superhuman locations to paint these highly stylized pieces.

These days Stik exhibits in the West-End, liaises at Central Saint Martin’s “Graffiti Dialogues” with Police and Councils and is funded to run graffiti workshops by councils and schools. The artist also works with groups as diverse as Amnesty International, Reclaim the streets, Queeruption, Mutoid Waste Company and British Waterways and yet still regularly paints unauthorised pieces around the capital, underlining Stik's status as a key component of both underground and mainstream art scenes.

This is a short film we made of Stik's first solo show...

FEATURED REGULARLY IN LSD MAGAZINE

Open publication - Free publishing - More urban art

Street Artist 'Stik' by Claude London

LSD Magazine photographer Claude London has been shooting the likes of Andy Warhol since the sixties. He instantly recognised something special was happening on the streets of London and made it his job to document as much street art as possible. So far the man is doing a sterling job and we often see him out snapping the most recent wall creations. He has been documenting artist Stik's work and probably has more shots of this artist than anyone else including LSD Magazine (and we get out alot). We posted some shots here but for the full list be sure to visit Claude's flickr pages... The URL follows the shots...

FOOTNOTE: We at LSD Magazine are often asked why we always feature Stik in every issue. It's really quite simple Stik is one of the few artists that actually contacts us when going out working. So we're happy to follow him along and snap the fresh images for the magazine. 

If you'd like one of our lads to tag along with you for fresh shots of your work then please contact us with images of your street work and we'll go from there...


Photos Courtesy of LSD Photographer: Claude London http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudelondon/  

Open publication - Free publishing - More urban art  

Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein (P.I.S.S.) presents PHILISTINES Thursday 7th October

Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein (P.I.S.S.) presents...PHILISTINES on Thursday 7th October (1st Thursday of each month thereafter.)

A NIGHT OF ART - AMBIENCE - MUSIC

After a very successful launch in September with photographers snapping away, celebrity and artist spottings (Philip Salon and Stik to name two) free drinks, brilliant vibe, great music....... Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein returns with his 2nd installment of Philistines on Thursday 7th October @ The Junction Rooms in Dalston.

Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein has been involved in the street art scene since 2001, collecting, selling and trading art. Over the years, he has developed strong relationships with artists including Ryka, Stik and David Walker.

PHILISTINES is a project and exhibtion which brings together street artists, collectors and lovers of art, ‘Philistines’ is a monthly event selling rare prints, canvases, originals and specially commissioned pieces at affordable prices. Over the next few months, ‘Philistines’ will be featuring a wide selection of pieces and commissions from more artists in a friendly venue with an eclectic DJ line up.

The Artist formerly known as AK-47 has moved into the field of 'Art Dealer' his brand new character named 'Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein' (P.I.S.S.) is an interesting character to say the least, he is someone you must meet and what better opportunity than his spanking new monthly showcases... PHILISTINES.. special events are more than just an art exhibition, it features some of P.I.S.S. personal collection including one off exclusives from AK-47 himself and other rare delights from the likes of: Micallef, Paul Insect, Ian Francis, David Walker, Stik, Banksy to name a few.... The art is very limited and numbered pieces holding certificate of provenance (guaranteed & genuine) and will be available to the general public for purchase at prices varying from below £100 upwards....

On the 1st Thursday of every month, you can expect at Philistines... many surprises including guest appearances and signings from the artists, lots of cool listening music (strictly no banging tunes) stimulating conversation and generally a good place to meet other like minded fans of the art underground scene.

Philistine;

a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

of or relating to ancient Philistia or its culture or its people

a member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century BC

anti-intellectual: smug and ignorant and indifferent or hostile to artistic and cultural values

‘Philistines’ takes place on the first Thursday of every month.

FREE ENTRY from 8 pm - 1 am
Thursday 7th October @ Junction Rooms.
Thursday 4th November (at a new venue tba)

PHILISTINES; A night of art, ambience and music
(1st Thursday of every month)
The Junction Rooms, 578 Kingsland Rd, Dalston. E8 4AH
8.00 pm – 1.00 am
FREE ENTRY

AK47 INTERVIEWED FOR LSD ISSUE 6

LSD Magazine Interviews - Street Artist 'Stik' (Issue 5)

Since we last spoke to Stik in Issue 3, not only has he got exponentially more prolific, but he has seemingly become pretty politicised, and is lending his talents and his characters to various campaigns. Add to that a visit to the House of Lords, and we just had to chase him up for another chat 

We’ve snapped you around town over the last 12 months and you’ve been a busy boy. Tell us about some of the summer’s highlights so far…

Over the last few months I’ve been back to Glastonbury after the council deleted my mural in the town itself. I went down to the festival to paint some walls but I got there so early, there were no walls yet built to graf so I had to go off in search of somewhere to paint. I did the town mural three months ago and heard it got defaced before the council deleted it. It actually made the local newspapers and online community because the people of Glastonbury was asking for it back. So it was quite a pleasure to go up and put it back early on a Sunday morning. It made the Glastonbury Festival paper as well which was cool. Whilst I was still up there the mural got defaced again but by the time I heard and went up there somebody in the town had actually repaired it. I’m really happy the town people have adopted the piece. I’m just learning how Glastonbury works and how street art is being received by the people and council. I’m starting to try and put roots in Glastonbury as a second or third home. There’s a lot going on there - different camps and tribes from hippies to healers and white goddesses while at the same time there’s a very conservative viewpoint in play as well. It’s really about people trying not to offend and move things gently on in the street art scene. I did some pieces at the Glastonbury Festival as well - the toilets. They were the only standing structures when i arrived there. 

 
We noticed you’re getting involved with certain activist groups, how did that come about? 

I’m from a political background as my art family are very political so I’ve been around it for a long time. I don’t want to be known as a political artist but I think the chickens are coming home to roost. There are some causes I feel very strongly about and I feel comfortable enough in my art to start applying that to subjects greater than myself. The Stik men started out as very personal images or emotive and they transfer the human story really well on a political platform. Many political issues are extremely complex and very dry, so it’s hard to say what’s going on in simple terms. But to create a little image that says this is the situation in Bhopal or in the Niyamgiri Hills or in Hackney Wick and Temple Mills, brings it to a different audience because I don’t read political newspapers. I’m not even into reading. I’m a visual person and there’s a lot of people like that who are missing out on understanding the core issues of what’s going on in the world. A lot of these causes are out there and need to be brought to life in a different way.

Tell us a little about the banner you’re painting today. 

This is for the people of the Niyamgiri Hills who are being removed from their land by a London based mining company called Vedanta. It’s a mountain range in India and this particular mountain has been their home for millennia. It’s their mother, it’s their god, it’s their land and it’s their keeper. Vedanta plan to blow the top of the mountain off and extract bauxite from it. It’s been described as a real live Avatar situation, the idea that the mountain itself is a resource that Vedanta want to turn into aluminum. That’s why I used the silver paint on the banner - the aluminum mountain and it highlights cost and value and conflicting interests. It’s all very complex and someone from the tribe is speaking on behalf of Vedanta so they are putting a lot of pressure on the people. There’s a lot of foul play going on and manipulation as the company is trying to make it as complex as possible but it’s actually really clear cut. There’s been a lot of development already happening in the area and the first thing to be effected is the water supply which is contaminated by the Vedanta factory. If you search online you’ll find a really nice film presented by Joanna Lumley that really gets to the heart of the matter. You see children staring into the camera saying ‘no one will take our mountain’ and I look at them and think - I believe you mate. But in the face of bulldozers, corporations and large work forces these people need our help and support. The banner is being hung outside The Institute of Civil Engineers as part of a demonstration there. Survival International will be there plus some other political activist groups.

READ FULL INTERVIEW IN LSD MAGAZINE ISSUE FIVE

Open publication - Free publishing - More wayne anthony

Street Artist Stik gets Tagged by 'Propety Specialists'

In this issue's (5) interview with street artist Stik we mentioned he comes from a political family background when in fact what Stik actually meant by family is the people, artists, and crews currently in his life...


He recently took the time out to paint a piece on a spot in Broadway Market, a spot which no-one has bothered to paint on or advertise in. Then some of Satan's clever little helpers spotted an advertising opportunity albeit at the behest of a local street artist. This is what Stik said


'This was a permitted piece about gentrification on Hackney Broadway on a hoarding that has been blank for years. Follow the disdainful eye-line and you see the disused shell of the east end cafe lying empty after the famed forced eviction around 5 years ago. Covered up illegally by estate agents sign within hours. To be continued...' 


Its funny how the little things can sometimes bring everyone together with but one objective. Street artists are now speaking of collecting and using the companies boards in street art installations. Though many of them are watching for the next MOVE! 

Judging from the poor decision to allow the boards to go public when they clearly have difficulty with spelling the word 'PROPETY' we just might be hearing more from this story...

Street Artist Stik Goes Undercover

The Team at LSD Magazine get invited on many day-trips shall we say. One of our regular buddies is street artist Stik. We caught up with him today on Commercial RD painting an arched doorway. We actually wanted to snap the shutters he painted last week but some were open so we left it for another time. The full Stik sessions will be in Issue 5 of LSD Magazine 

Stik, Dow Chemical Co, Fake Cops

LSD went to meet Stik and show some support for this worthy cause. We knew Stik had painted some banners and we also knew there was a planned sponsored Water Run of sorts supported by the chemical giant Dow. This was canceled at the last minute due to the noise which had been made by anti-Dow protestors who were planning a day of direct action on the same date and in the same vicinity as the sponsored Water event.

It didn't take long before the Community Park Ranger came and laid down the so-called law on where and how they could hang their banners. Its wasn't the fault of the Community Park Ranger as they are just on the front line and trying to earn a living anyway they can to put food on the table. This we can sympathise with and understand.  Sadly due to massive cuts in basic law enforcement departments we are now coming face to face with relatively unqualified and poorly trained individuals who on given the slight bit of authority tend to take this illegal power to extremes.

The debate rolled on…The offending banners other than those put in trees by Stik were taken down and laid down on the grass. The Rangers wanted them out of sight but later accepted that the banners were doing no real harm.  The point is there was no recourse, no-one they could call to ask permission if they could be displayed on the grass.

It should be noted however that if Dow didn't pull out of the event the park would've been drenched in their banners. History states that Victoria Park was the first public park in the UK. The public part of the term Public Park means its open to the public but doesn't belong to the public because it belongs to the Council and though theoretically the Council is funded by public money you still cant hang a banner in that public space…

SKULLDUGGEROUS - 4th - 11th March

What is it?



A group show with Stik, Discreet, Swoon, Pure Evil and many more in aid of "The Bhopal Medical apeal.



Where is it?



Pure Evil Gallery, 108 Leonard street, London EC2A. 10 mins from Liverpool Street / Old Street



When is it?



Private view 4th march 6-9pm then utill 11th March 10am - 6pm.



For more info visit; www.bhopal.org <http://www.bhopal.org/>



Pass it on.and see you there!



Stik

Street Artist Stik Live Painting - Feb 2010

Wayne Anthony films Stik as he paints a Stik Rendition in a quiet corner in a very busy part of West London...

LSD Magazine Rewind 2009 (YouTube Film)

LSD Magazine - Rewind 2009 pt1 - 2010

As 2010 snows into action and conventional wisdom grinds to a halt, let's take this opportunity to replace the usual mediocrity of our resolutions with a joining of forces to actually fight for, build and actively nurture a culture that is truly ours and not just consign ourselves to being the Facebook generation of empty clickers. Download the magazine, get involved, share far and wide, send us your projects - let's collaborate - let's make 2010 legendary. Let art meet music, meet wisdom, meet a packed dancefloor, meet creativity of every creed and colour and let's really take the world by the balls and shape it in our own image. Let's shatter genres, break down false barriers both internal and external and let's all work together to realise each other's positive missions in a more fulfilling, dynamic and unified way... Don't just click 'like' - let's get on it and make it happen. http://www.londonstreetartdesign.com

Here's our latest YouTube Flick called LSD Magazine Rewind 2009 (HD version coming);

Art Thieves Nick LSD Stik Man

News just coming in… Artist Stik recently gave LSD a limited edition piece commemorating Homelessness in Britain. The piece was part of a free Street Drop which sees artist producing works that's left on the streets for passersby to collect and keep. This gesture doesn't extend to collecting collected pieces from persons lucky enough to be around collecting in the first place.

Hence the Stik LSD piece has been stolen… The thieves then sent us photos…If you've spotted this piece anywhere else Please Send Us Photos…

londonstreetartdesign@googlemail.com

The Love Police and Smile Police have been contacted...

Stik Hunt - Mayfair Tonight

Artist Stik has created mini Stik figures as free giveaways to draw attention to the Homeless at Christmas. The plan is to leave the Stik figures around Mayfair for people to take home. The Stik Hunt begins at 7pm so if your over that way keep your eyes open and feel free to pick that sucker up...Limited Editons...Nice One Stik...

Artist: Stik - Solo Show (Interview)

LSD Magazine interviews artist Stik for the next issue and then decided to make this short film...

Stik (solo show on now) @ The At Pavilion, Clinton RD, London E3 5BH
Dec 5th - 20th / Time: 12-6pm (closed mondays)

LSD London Street Art Design - www.londonstreetartdesign.com

Stik at the Art Pavilion - Solo Show December

Stik at the Art Pavilion (Urban Art / Interactive installation)
Dec 5th – 20th 2009 / 12- 6pm (closed Mondays).
Mile-End Art Pavilion, Clinton Road (off Grove Road),
Tower Hamlets, E9 5BH. Tel: 077 587 51170
Email: stiklondon@yahoo.co.uk
Entry: FREE

The main installation is made up of over 20 larger-than-life figures suspended
along the full 50 metres of the Art Pavilion. The figures, each manifesting their
own emotion, compliment and jar in an overall composition as the viewer moves
them around on tensioned cable creating strange, comical and sometimes sinister
scenarios. The neat lines compliment those of the bright lakeside pavilion whilst
the art bursts out into elegant water garden (and beyond, unofficially!)

Stik’s clean black-on-white “stick-man” style became well know for the simple yet
striking graffiti pieces across the city for almost a decade and more
recently larger authorised pieces for organisations including Glastonbury Festival
and British Waterways this year. Stik teams up with group Squarity to stage a
mass “ drop” of free artworks in central London this Christmas which aim to raise
the awareness of homelessness. Previews will be on display plus the launch of a new
print run.

Featured twice in Big Issue during November as well as headlining with MuTate’s
“One Foot in the Grove”, whilst curating “Other Side”, a show that put the work of
young local graffiti artists along side that of their heroes. Stik now clears the space
to host his third and largest solo show to date. The show is suitable for all ages but the interactive nature of the show may surprise

Otherside - Exhibition Live Painting This Weekend

If Graffiti, Street Art and Live Painting is your thang...The Otherside is the place for you to be this weekend. Various artists are passing through Today and Tomorrow to leave their live marks. Its Free Entry and Hosted by street artist Stik...

Wednesday - Sunday 12pm -6pm You dont know who you'll find painting until you get there...

Otherside @ The Arts Pavilion, Mile End Park, Clinton RD (Off Grove RD) London E3 5BH
Contact: stiklondon@yahoo.com

LSD Interview with Stik in coming issue of LSD - London Street-Art Design Issue Three