It's a mild Thursday evening in Sloane Square, London; as the bars and restaurants are filling up, I'm reminded that I haven't eaten since lunch time and start to wonder if they will be serving food at this event. Not likely, so I decide to improvise.
None of my colleagues are on time, so I decide to join a stylish and expensive looking queue of young people - after eventually finding the Saatchi gallery. I was still eating a snickers bar when they let me in, so 10 points for the engagement team at the door. Good start, good start.
There are stairs to my right and boom bap to my left so, obviously, I turn left. Who knows whats happening upstairs and how weird I'll look walking into it alone. Much smarter to wait it out flicking through vinyl records and making knowing faces at any obscure posters until reinforcements arrive. The music is from before even my era of hip hop but familiar. Think breakdance music - a mix of electric boogie, scratch hop and featuring foundational party MCs - Good times.
I let the group chat know that I'm local. It turns out one of the team turned right at the door and is messaging to meet them at the top floor. That's a myth, but I do venture up one floor, impressed as I realise that they have taken over the entire Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea with Street art and culture. Guap Magazine have helped curate and promote the event in partnership with Club Originals, including arranging this launch event.
Some history on the Beyond The Streets movement:
Beyond The Streets is a platform that celebrates the creative energy and subversive spirit of street art, and its potential to inspire positive change and innovation in contemporary art and culture.
The movement was founded in 2018 by Roger Gastman, a graffiti historian, curator, and author who wanted to provide a platform for street artists to showcase their work and inspire the next generation of creators.
The 'Hub for the Unique' have created installations in New York & Los Angeles featuring immersive exhibitions, public art installations, and cultural programming that explore the diverse history and global impact of street art. The movement has showcased the works of iconic street artists like Shepard Fairey, Takashi Murakami, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as emerging talents from around the world.
Through its events and exhibitions, Beyond The Streets aims to promote dialogue and critical thinking about the intersection of art, culture, and urban environments. It also seeks to challenge traditional notions of what art can be, by showcasing the raw and unfiltered expressions of street artists and the social and political messages they convey through their work.
I follow the sound of impressed onlookers and find what I have been looking for: Breakdancing! I'd be lying if I said these were the best breakers I have seen, but they are enthusiastic and the crowd is enjoying the show, creating a vibe. That's where I see this piece with the Mickey Mouse remix - created by one of the founders of Massive Attack! Hidden depths.
I'm always struck by how powerful art is when checking the political temperature at any point in time.
The stairs are decorated with exhibits, I can see the influencers smiling and having a good time before I reach the third floor. It's considerably louder here, that level of noise you only get in school assembly and / or a room full of care free black people.
Great art is supposed to be challenging