Art Republic has always been well known for championing street art. So, as the Saatchi Gallery opens the incredibly comprehensive street art and graffiti exhibition, ‘Beyond the Streets London’, we thought it was the perfect time to celebrate the fantastic street artists in our collection.
‘Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better-looking place.’ Banksy
‘Beyond the Streets London’ explores the intersection between street art, music, fashion, and film, highlighting the conversations between artists working in different mediums and the art form’s impact on global consciousness and culture. The expansiveness of street art results in an exhibition brimming with a myriad of techniques, styles, and subject matter.
From the origination of graffiti art in 1970s New York, street art has expressed contemporary issues publicly, reacting against oppression and state powers. With markers and spray paint murals, graffiti artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose tag was ‘Samo’, would inject their sense of individuality and creativity onto walls, subways, trains, and buildings. Haring and Basquiat’s success gave street art credibility, bridging the gap between the street and museums and galleries, and paving the way for exhibitions like ‘Beyond the Streets.’
Graffiti developed and broadened in the late 1980s and 90s, into new techniques which made use of stencils, posters, stickers, and installations. This became known as Street Art. From Banksy to Bambi, Faile, and D*Face, Art Republic is very proud to sell works by some of the most revolutionary street artists, who made their names on the streets and capitulated the movement to what it is today. The aesthetic of graffiti art has infiltrated studio artworks, in which street artists remain unapologetic in their imaginative self-expression and political commentary. Here is a round-up of some of the renowned street artists available on Art Republic, celebrated for their unique approaches to transforming both public spaces and artworks on a smaller scale, defying authorities to express issues important to them, and their continued experimentation.
Bboy Composition Hand Sketch #4 by Carlos Mare
Carlos Mare - VIEW COLLECTION
Carlos Mare is a New York-based artist known for his pioneering work combining graffiti art and modern sculpture. Also known as subway graffiti writer Mare139, Carlos has developed a successful career in the contemporary street art scene. We love how Carlos references art historical movements such as Cubism and Constructivism in his artwork, combining this with his graffiti background to create artworks that are complex and thought-provoking.
Bambi - VIEW COLLECTION
Bambi is an anonymous street artist famous for her gritty graffiti works that comment on socio-political injustice and focus on the struggles of living as a woman in a patriarchal culture. Initially hailed as ‘The female Banksy’, Bambi has since forged her own identity within the graffiti art scene and has found worldwide acclaim with her politically charged and witty commentary. She often creates stencils of topical contemporary figures and relates them to popular culture.
Montreux 1983 (Prestel 10), 1983 by Keith Haring
Keith Haring - VIEW COLLECTION
Keith Haring was incredibly important to street art and 20th-century art. His modern-day hieroglyphics commented on issues including AIDS, drug addiction, apartheid, and homosexuality, in an accessible and engaging way.
Like what you see? We have many more fantastic artworks that will be right up your street, just waiting for you to discover. Explore our Urban Art and Classic Street Art collections now.
