London is a true dystopian nightmare. It’s become impossible to even cross the road without nearly getting hit by someone riding a stolen Lime E-Bike, or an underpaid Uber Eats delivery driver risking life and limb for the sake of someone’s lukewarm takeout.
But behind the chaotic street scenes lies a much darker reality: the economic situation is hopelessly dire. Desolate wastelands such as Blackhorse Road have been repurposed into unaffordable ‘luxury’ apartments by avaricious property developers hellbent on capitalising on the misery of others. Coincidentally, street art has become completely commodified and repurposed by advertising agencies working hand in hand with these developers, producing astroturfed ‘street art’ communities to further their agenda of driving up property prices in areas where they have a vested interest. It’s usually an out-of-context, monochromatic mural of a woman’s face on the side of a building or a conceptually vacant image of a fox staring into space that adorns exterior walls.
By altering the perception of what street art is, wealthy speculators are able to change the content to suit their needs. Paradoxically, gargantuan rental prices and disillusionment have forced almost the entirety of the grassroots street art scene into retirement. Could it be time to question the validity of street art entirely? I certainly don’t believe for one moment that an obnoxious mural of Woody Woodpecker is going to resonate or improve the quality of life for anyone in this current socio-economic climate. I think now might be a great time to reflect on the true purpose of street art, understanding the underlying impulsive urge to create that derives from tremendous torment and anguish.
There is a real sense that street art has descended into a race to the bottom, in part due to culturally illiterate collectors who might mistake “Caravaggio” for a pair of limited-edition Nike Air Jordans, footballers’ wives who spend £50k+ on haphazardly painted pictures of plagiarised board-game characters, or artists from privileged backgrounds who wield the visual vocabulary of a SoundCloud rapper.
