23 October 2011

Street Art of Brick Lane

Brick Lane and its surrounding streets are a photographer’s dream. I’ve yet to build up the courage to photograph the eccentric Shoreditch crowd, but yesterday I took a quick stroll and snapped some street art that caught my eye. 

Update: The artist behind the first piece below (my favourite) is Cosmo Sarson. And the last piece is by Milo TchaisHats off to you, sirs! 

BrickLaneArt 01 BrickLaneArt 02 BrickLaneArt 03 BrickLaneArt 04 BrickLaneArt 05BrickLaneArt 06

“Take my picture!” – sure, Smiley Man With Beercan.

BrickLaneArt 07 BrickLaneArt 08 BrickLaneArt 09 BrickLaneArt 10

Join the conversation! 211 Comments

  1. I never realised there was such good street art in London! I’ll have to get the street names off you to go have a look.

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    • Can’t remember them myself, ha! I just walked the length of Brick Lane and turned into its side streets. Happy exploring!

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  2. oh these are awesome. i can’t wait to get my ass out to london some day. i will track you down for sure!

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  3. I love street art. You found some really good pieces!

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  4. Amazing. Thanks for sharing these incredible images. My partner and I graffiti-ed our basement walls last weekend. Such fun. Did a post about it this last Monday.
    Kathy

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  5. Love them all, but the trompe l’oeuil kitty is damned clever …

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  6. Gorgeous work…and spectacular pix!!

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  7. Beautiful! Especially the top one.

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  8. Hey Charlotte, some great graffiti you photographed here! There are also some interesting ones around Old Street and the streets branching off from there, have you had a look there too?

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  9. Who does all this art? It is so beautiful :)

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  10. I am walking around this area at least once a month because there is always so much new art.

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  11. Beautiful!

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  12. Love this, must visit Brick Lane!

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  13. i adore street art. these photos really show some good stuff!

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  14. Wow, nice pictures ! Love it !
    Thx for sharing.

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  15. Absolutely beautiful. Do you know if this is commissioned work or freelance?

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  16. Fascinating! I really like the pointillism/paint drip ones

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  17. These are AWESOME! Love them all!

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  18. Beautiful street art!

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    • Love this, I suppose it’s done legally?
      My site has much to say on the topic
      of gorilla art and unusual sculpture.
      My recent post is on monuments – that
      harness the wind and waves to create
      eerie sounds. Two such monuments
      are in england – The Blackpool High
      Tide Organ & Singing Ringing
      Tree of Lancashire.

      Reply
  19. An amazing photography of a lover of arts.

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  20. These photos are beautful…the artwork amazing! thanks for sharing.

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  21. This post reminded me the JR`s pictures

    JR’s TED Prize wish: Use art to turn the world inside out

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  22. That’s some really incredible stuff you’ve posted. That second one is really amazing, but all of it is glorious. Thanks for sharing this

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  23. Lovely pics! brick lane is always awe-inspiring, and purse friendly as well! Thanks for sharing!

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  24. that is some fascinating and gorgeous art. Wow. I can’t believe it lines the streets. So much talent and vision. Thank you for sharing this.

    http://valentinedefrancis.blogspot.com

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  25. Fabulous artwork – love the portraits.

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  26. I love the way you’ve “curated” these into a visual essay.

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  27. Great arts Charlotte, fascinating!

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  28. Awesome! Philadelphia has some great brick building murals! Congrats on being FP!

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  29. Im such a big fan of street art and sad to have missed this while I was in London! Oh well, next time! Lovely photos, totally enjoyed them! =)

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  30. Why can’t all Graffiti be like this!?

    Great images thanks for sharing.

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  31. Really impressive street art :)
    There is also a worldwide campaign for creating the world’s largest photo-mosaic. Visit http://www.clickmonks.com/ and see if this interests you.

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  32. Love his diversity of style. Very fun pieces!

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  33. Wonderful art, what a great post!
    (:

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  34. Brilliant stuff. I saw some great street art in Prague! The John Lennon wall. I blogged about it a few months ago. Great stuff – I love street art!

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  35. HEy chaR GrEat WoRk

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  36. I love the variety of styles of street art you captured!

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  37. They really are pictures taken with the look of someone who lies ahead. We can take various aspects of how to do, and enjoy the splendor of our urban art, that in this world today is in amazing growth.

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  38. “Please wait here until you are useful” I am going to use that the next time a telemarketer calls (:

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  39. Gorgeous photos. I’ll have to take a trip down to Brick Lane – its been on my to-do list for ages. I’ve got no excuse since I live in London…

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    • Okay there really is no excuse if you live here :) the Sunday UpMarket is worth it alone for the wonderful crafts, art and food!

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  40. Wow all these artist are just so awesome. Your so lucky that you get to see all of this in your very own neighborliness!!!!!

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  41. these pictures of street art are simply mind blowing.

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  42. wow, it’s realy something. loved it.

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  43. Very nice! Like the shark man.

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  44. The creativity that comes out in street artists is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Its almost as if its an art form that can only exist within the “urban gallery”.

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  45. I love your post – great photos. Check out the street art that I just photographed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at http://marinachetner.wordpress.com
    From one street to another :)

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  46. Es impresionante ver tanto talento expresado en creaciones magnificas, las cuales son dignas de ser admiradas y elogiadas

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  47. Interesting blog…
    Cheers!

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  48. Awesome artwork…I especially like the first picture!

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  49. Wall art for is always like ACK!, and then ohhh, and then WOW that looks great!

    Kinda rubs off on you after a while, except when its on someone’s house, then it’s just ACK!
    Cheers,

    Ron

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  50. Wow!! those people are soooooo artistic i love it!!! :-)

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  51. Char.. you have really clicked them very beautifully. Nice Work

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  52. nice street art shoots, some really great work there, what county is this from?

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  53. Wow, fantastic stuff. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!!

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  54. Very impressive and I love the blog site design. Hope you have time to check out http://jdtphotography.co.uk from street photos to my landscapes.

    Reply
  55. Brighton is a great place to explore. Not to miss Coventry too

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  56. Love the eclectic mix of art!! . . . Congrats on being “Freshly Pressed”!!

    http://arabianmusings.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  57. The one of the girl is my favorite. Though I do also love the cat. These street paintings are amazing!

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  58. Wow! Wish we had that in my city.

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  59. Good stuff. I am an ardent arty and your photography and subject(s) are great. Please continue to titillate us with your exquisite eye. Peace.

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  60. Hey! I am loving this post. Brick Lane/Shoreditch are my favorite places in London to take my camera too. And street art over that way is awesome. There’s loads of it on my blog – http://littlelondonobservationist.wordpress.com too and I was wondering if you might be up for a little interview for my Listen to a Londoner section? It’s 10 questions, photo of you, link back to your blog. There’s a link to some past interviews here if you want to have a look. Let me know. I’d love to include you! x

    Reply
  61. I Know that Brick Lane is full of South Asians. I am also a South Asian so I love brick lane and its pic or arts. go on bro.

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  62. love this post. I haven’t seen these! Or at least I can’t remember – you should make a public gmap so that visitors can find them!

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    • That’s a great idea, maybe I will attempt this in the future! I think some of the pieces are only a few months old…

      Reply
  63. SWEET!!!!!! Video check out my blog to (if you want)

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  64. A few weeks ago I photographed the first image myself. I love this type of art – incredibly skilled people who are poorly recognized for the quality of their work. You have found a great collection here. Well done

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  65. the cat looks like my little cat, pandora :3

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  66. That first image, especially, is amazing!

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  67. at first i thought Brick Lane was only famous for its fabulous bagels or should I say beigels! But now I know a whole new and more trendy side of the neighborhood! Complete attention grabbing art work! thanks for the update :)

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  68. This is my first vision of WordPress. It’s beautiful, Nice Capture!

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  69. your photographs are breathtaking. thank you for sharing.

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  70. amazing! i live in london for over ten years and go to bricklane quite often. and NEVER seen these brilliant wall arts! unbelievable. well captured xo

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  71. Love your collection of photos! I’m a huge fan of graffiti and street art and love coming across other people’s photos of work I won’t be seeing in the flesh any time soon.

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  72. Great shots!

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  73. Lovely London and lovely pictures!
    For an autumn perspective on London, read my latest post!
    http://littleexplorer.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  74. Cool. I love art, and you have cool shots of the artwork in London. I like it! Here’s my blog:
    http://theladycakedesigner.wordpress.com/
    Just for anyone who loves sweets.

    Reply
  75. wow! awesome enviorment a photographers dream… http://www.lindseyeileen.wordpress.com

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  76. Great street art. Love all of it!

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  77. This is great, I find street art great! Thank you for the share!

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  78. this is pretty cool!!!!

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  79. Wow, these are amazing, I love the realism…

    Not for tourists:
    http://www.cityarbiter.wordpress.com

    Reply
  80. Awesome pictures! I love love love street art.

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  81. This is really good street art. I like the very first one, it looks very realistic.
    Lawlz.org: Funny Pictures and Videos

    Reply
  82. Opening pic is absolutely breathtaking. I love this stuff. Picture # 5 reminds me a lot of Chuck Close’s work. If only I could see this stuff in real life…I’m about 4,000 miles away! :(

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    • Just looked up Chuck Close – very impressive work! Thanks – that’s a large part of why I love photography… looking at people’s work from across the world allows me to travel there, in a way ;)

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  83. AWESOME!!!!!!! :) :) really loved them

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  84. beautiful!

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  85. so amazing!! :-D.. i love it

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  86. Wow I love this, totally amazing

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  87. I shott a lot of street art – here is a link to some images from Shoreditch
    http://quentinbudworthphotography.co.uk/p751529884
    and Brick Lane
    http://quentinbudworthphotography.co.uk/p752553201
    I hope that you enjoy them !

    Reply
  88. I shot a lot of street art – here is a link to some images from Shoreditch
    http://quentinbudworthphotography.co.uk/p751529884
    and Brick Lane
    http://quentinbudworthphotography.co.uk/p752553201
    I hope that you enjoy them !

    Reply
  89. thumbs up for this!^-^

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  90. Great paintings — and photographs of them. Thanks for sharing these!

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  91. These are so good! I love the artwork in London – the man with the can of beer is hilarious!
    x

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  92. Brilliant designs will be following these

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  93. Now this is a reason why such drawings are called street ART. Not that garbage drawing of some flat and lame childish pictures on monuments. Very impressive! :)

    http://dressupforme.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/day-dreaming/

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  94. Stunning. I used to live in Mile End just a little way down from Whitechapel. I mess this street!

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  95. And by that I obviously meant “miss” but I can’t type.

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  96. Brick Lane is one of my fav streets in London. You can also find some amazing street art at Camden lock market. Love your blog :)

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  97. Wow this is amazing!

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  98. The graffiti in Brick lane looks indescribable…calling it anything beyond magnificent also seems like an understatement. This is definitely some insightful post.

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  99. Love the snails of my good friend MILO TCHAIS! you guys should take a look at his massive mural (big bird and head) behind the former Foundry, it’s wicked!

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  100. Beautiful clicks :)

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  101. two words: awe inspiring…..

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  102. Brilliant! It’s remarkable that these pieces are everywhere for everyone to see! So big and beautiful :)

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  103. Some lovely artwork here. You might also like to checkout Bristol. Not only the birthplace of Banksy, but the city commissioned a load of street artists to have their way with the buildings around there. Some great stuff there too. I’m sure you’d love it!

    namaste
    mús

    Reply
  104. Beautiful. London is so traditional, and then not. These are wonderful.

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  105. Theres some real talent captured here. The portraits in particular. Thanks for sharing this collection of street art images.

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  106. Great work here!

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  107. I live in Edinburgh (4 1/2 hours by train) and visit London a few times a year, always with a camera. My family and I love the Brick Lane area, especially on a Saturday – lots of characters in the markets! My daughter is hugely keen on photographing graffiti, and spied some excellent pieces (since removed) that were done just after the August riots. Not much graffiti in squeaky-clean Edinburgh. Nor any tasty bagel shops….

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  108. Brick Lane is my favorite spot in London. Some of my favorite pictures are of the art there too! Thanks for sharing…beautiful photos!

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  109. Love it! Street art is one of my favourite things in the world. Free art, crafted with purpose, rejecting the galleries and making bold culture-shifting statements at bus stops. Brilliant.

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  110. its always good to see brick lane captured through other peoples lenses. great stuff!

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  111. I really like the third to last shot. Congrats on getting ‘pressed’.

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  112. ahhh I miss the UK.

    @graylinsample
    yepindeed.wordpress.com

    Reply
  113. Great Photos!!! Amazing art!

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  114. A few weeks ago I photographed the first image myself. I love this type of art – incredibly skilled people who are poorly recognized for the quality of their work. You have found a great collection here. Well done

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  115. Great arts Charlotte, fascinating!

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  116. I can’t wait to make it to London again. I could spend weeks just exploring the street art and graffiti, and plan to. Thanks for sharing.

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  117. These photos are beautful…the artwork amazing! thanks for sharing.

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  118. Awesome street art! Your next mission (should you choose to accept it) is Scandinavia…some of the best graffiti in the world! Aloha

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  119. These images are very inspiring! Thanks for sharing!
    http://www.girlmeetsworld.net

    Reply
  120. Beautiful pictures – I recognised them all except one…! Love it, will have to pay another visit to find the furry cat. Ooh did you see any of the tiny Pablo Delgado figures in the area…? http://wp.me/pQo3s-Fy

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  121. My favorite part about art is that how no matter what way you look at it, as in everything else, it is and always will be magnificently beautiful.

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  122. awesome art…i like it….

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  123. Great photos :) Congrats:)

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  124. These are beautiful artworks and photographs. Thanks for sharing!

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  125. I like the people face art on the wall.

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  126. This is stunning, must go visit Brick Lane again soon!

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  127. Fantastic! I used to live in London and I just massively miss it now! Your post id great, so other people can enjoy the street art!

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  128. el arte en la calle no merece ninguna crítica destructiva. Está lleno de connotaciones propias del artista urbano como son la inmediatez en el trabajo, el soporte no convencional y las ganas de protestar contra algun tipo de injusticia social o política en muchos casos. No exento de cierta polémica (como suele ocurrir con lo incomprendido) el arte callejero es cada día más popular y más respetado.

    Reply
  129. Your photos show that graffiti, both in content and execution, can reach the heights of imagination and technical prowess lending support to those who believe that this really is an art form and not merely irresponsible acts of vandalism.
    One question though, how much practice before reaching the status of art does deface public spaces?

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  130. El término arte urbano o arte callejero, traducción de la expresión inglesa street art, hace referencia a todo el arte de la calle, frecuentemente ilegal. El arte urbano engloba tanto al grafiti como a diversas otras formas de expresión artística callejera. Las ciudades que son puntos clave del arte callejero son París, Londres, Barcelona, Berlín, São Paulo y Toronto, entre otras.

    Desde mediados del los años 90 el término street art o, de forma más específica, Post-Graffiti se utiliza para describir el trabajo de un conjunto heterogéneo de artistas que han desarrollado un modo de expresión artística en las calles mediante el uso de diversas técnicas (plantillas, posters, pegatinas, murales….), que se alejan del famoso grafiti.

    El uso de plantillas (stencil), a menudo con un mensaje político, cobra especial relevancia en París en la segunda mitad de los años 60. Sin embargo, no es hasta mediados de los años 90, con la aparición de artistas como el norteamericano Shepard Fairey y su campaña “Obey” (Obey Giant) (Obedece al gigante), ideada a partir de la imagen del personaje de circo Andre The Giant y llevada a cabo mediante el uso de posters y plantillas, cuando las diversas propuestas de este tipo cobran auge en distintas partes del mundo y son percibidas en su conjunto como parte de un mismo fenómeno o escena.

    El mensaje original de esta campaña fue nulo, se erigió haciendo referencia a sí mismo, sin otro significado de por medio. Sin embargo, desde mediados de los noventa ha sido una de las imágenes de cultura urbana más veces retomada por otros artistas. Se ha parafraseado a manera de homenaje y otras como ironía, pero ha servido como base importante para el desarrollo del arte callejero en todas las capitales del mundo.

    El arte callejero, al integrar sus elementos en lugares públicos bastante transitados, pretende sorprender a los espectadores. Suele tener un llamativo mensaje subversivo que critica a la sociedad con ironía e invita a la lucha social, la crítica política o, simplemente, a la reflexión. Sin embargo, existe cierto debate sobre los objetivos reales de los artistas que actualmente intervienen el espacio público.

    http://enpositivods.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/arte-urbano-diseno-social/

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  131. I love street art! Nice photos!

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  132. Just last weekend I was passing by this amazing street art in Brick Lane! And was wondering who the people portrayed are. Am sure they are locals – any clue?

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  133. Looking good! Where else is good in London town to see some ace graffiti? I’m from Manchester and it’s all very dotted about, although there are some great pieces if you go looking (my plan for the summer – or the next cold sunny day in the next few months…)

    Reply
  134. I like this post, fresh pics of great artworks. Check out the work of these street artists from Ecuador, South America; and perhaps next time you are around this far land you might photograph some of their work. Nice blog.
    http://wp.me/p1rgzN-6c
    http://wp.me/p1rgzN-bL
    http://wp.me/p1rgzN-4Y
    Greetings
    El Pezcuezo

    Reply
  135. Beautiful…I think these street art are real art create by inspired people who do it for the love of art and from their heart not for money or fame. Those Graphiti art are another one that is really special too.

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  136. LOVE LOVE LOVE this.

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  137. “Please wait here until you are useful, thank you!”
    Great street art!

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  138. Lovely stuff, used to live in Hoxton and now we live in Switzerland. And one thing I really miss isseeing this stuff on the way into work, so thanks for posting. There’s always something new…love the “please wait here until you are useful”

    Reply
  139. […] art really is amazing. Brick Lane in London has some great […]

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  140. What an exciting experience to walk through the city and discover the holy grail every time you discover such master pieces like those ones. Great pictures !

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  141. stunning photos of stunning artwork

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  142. I’d love to have a go on something of this scale. Must be both challenging and fun. It’s good work

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  143. Great photos! I used to live on Brick Lane so some of these are so familiar to me! :)

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  144. I love this area. Awesome pictures!

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  145. Seriously incredible. I wish that I had half of the knack for street art as the artists who have pictures above. My attempts at anything artistic often look autistic. Sorry if that was offensive, I just thought it was punny. I always end up with awkward doodles instead of legitimate art, so the above pictures are especially impressive to me.
    -Ricky
    The Wanderer
    http://www.thewandererfl.wordpress.com
    http://www.facebook.com/thewandererf

    Reply
  146. Has anyone said, “Holy COW?”

    HO-LEE COW!

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  147. As a youth who is just starting out my art gcse and learning about other artists and myself as an artist, i have to say that brick work has always been something that intrigued me and caught my attention.
    great pics by the way

    Reply
  148. Great Blog i come again to your blog …..:)
    see this
    http://www.allitreview.com/

    Reply
  149. Wow, I wish I had some beautiful wall art like that in my area. Beautiful!

    Reply
  150. […] Street Art of Brick Lane – Repost #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } […]

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  151. […] Imágenes del Blog de Charlotte Hu: https://charlottehu.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/bricklane/ […]

    Reply
  152. Wow! What fantastic work! Great shots…

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  153. real impressive work. Street-art seems to be actually more poetic than regular paintings.

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  154. Loving this… something Dubai is missing but hopefully one day they will open up and appreciate street art!

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  155. Great post. I love Brick Lane – it’s one of my favourite places in the world and the very best place for a Sunday Session!

    Reply
  156. Wow, awesome blog format! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for? you made blogging glance easy. The total glance of your web site is magnificent, as smartly as the content!

    Reply
  157. Awesome.Very good shots!

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  158. It looks that you’ve put a great amount of time into your article and I want a lot more of these on the web these days. Well, anyways… it certainly was very informative for me.

    Reply
  159. Nice post I’ve bookmarked it on Digg under “Street Art of Brick Lane – Charlotte Hu Photography”. Kudos!

    Reply
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