As the country declines graffiti takes off: paintings in Pompey
The famous Banksy revealed he is behind the graffiti of a young girl playfully hula-hooping a bike tyre. Just beside the mural, chained to a post, is a bike with a missing wheel which completes the artwork located in Nottingham.
As Banksy is known for his clever social commentary, residents speculate that this could be the artist reminding us to have fun during these serious times.
Just days later, Banksy’s Monet Parody sold for £7.5m at auction to a collector. ‘Show Me the Monet’ illustrates an abandoned shopping trolley and traffic cone added to the iconic Impressionist piece of the water lilies. This artwork hints at society’s disregard for the environment in favour of excessive consumerism.
The city of Portsmouth has a flourishing art scene, with a growing number of businesses commissioning street artists to paint their walls. Southsea is also home to several world-renowned Street artists that have been contracted all over the world.
My Dog Sighs is famous for the striking eye paintings around Portsmouth and has been recognised as one of the best UK artists. He is also an artist famous for being a leading figure in the movement of free art Fridays, a concept where original art is left for the public to find.
Fark, another famous Southsea Street artist, claims to have worked with Banksy in London in 2008. He is locally known as ‘the man that paints the birds’, as Fark’s seagulls have become somewhat of a Southsea icon.
Like Banksy, Fark started off painting free hand but developed his style using stencils. His trademark image first started to progress after a fellow artist asked him to paint a bird next to a smiling fish at a street art exhibition in Amsterdam about 10 years ago.
Fark said: “There are still many more birds to come, it’s ever evolving, but I’m flattered that people think of the bird as an icon.”
A street art gallery has taken residence in an alleyway just off Palmerston Road in Southsea. What could easily be an uninviting cut through to the car park behind the precinct is a hub of eye catching and ever evolving artwork.
Lawrence Amin, who lives just off Palmerston Road said: “I think the graffiti here is brilliant, it gives the area vibrancy. It’s cool that the art is constantly refreshed, you never know what to expect next. The graffiti artists here are always busy.’’
Fark said: “I hate to say it because so many people are struggling now but business has been great recently. So many people have been looking at their houses and thinking ‘right, I need to do something with that wall’. I’ve had so much commission.’’
Councillor for central Southsea, Suzy Horton, said: “I’m incredibly proud of Southsea’s street artists, I love the street art.”
She added. “Obviously not all of it is desirable, but I’ve only had a few complaints about defacing. This tends to be when there’s been paint on somebody’s home or on a telephone box, and we accelerate the removal of any swearing or racism.’’
Much of Southsea’s urban art lends itself to beautify the neighbourhood. One local business that stands out due to its striking graffiti is Owl Motors, situated on Richmond Road. Painted on the wall of the family run car business is a prominent and greatly coloured owl with orange eyes.
Rob Skerratt, from Owl Motors, said: “The wall wasn’t in a very good state and we wanted to make something out of it. Now people cannot miss us as they’re going through the city.’’
In 2016 there were protests in Southsea when a Conservative councillor complained about graffiti close to her home just off Osborne Road. When work was due to take down the graffiti, protesting members of the public surrounded the art in an attempt to prevent the removal. This demonstrates the pride in the people of Southsea for the local street art. Unfortunately, the removal of the graffiti on the Casino wall just off Osborne road was completed.
The message that Fark tries to perpetuate with his work is always positive. He said: “All I set out to do when I paint is make somebody smile. There’s enough negativity out there.’’
When asked how it feels to have his artwork painted over, Fark said: “It’s the name of the game, you can’t be precious when you paint on the street. Nothing can stay there forever, unless you’re Banksy of course. In which case someone will either try and put a bit of Perspex over it, or try and take the actual wall away.’’
He added: “Banksy is a very clever guy. He doesn’t make a direct dig at the Government but he makes a statement in a lot of his work. He’s an utter legend in my opinion.’’
