The Best Street Art Galleries in London

Howard Griffin looks beyond the well-trodden paths of London and New York to exhibit artists from across the globe. Among these are famed French street artist Thierry Noir, the muralist Phlegm and Mehdi Ghadyanloo, a young Iranian artist who spent the length of the Iraq-Iran war living on a farm. Ghadyanloo’s paintings of desolate landscapes examine ideas around utopian visions, and his public art is well recognised in Tehran, where he painted over 100 murals over the course of seven years.

Based in Stoke Newington, East London’s Hang-Up Gallery boasts an impressive list of artists including KAWS, The Connor Brothers, Harland Miller, Johnathan Reiner and Swoon. The gallery also prides itself on its extensive Banksy print holdings and features a ‘Banksy bunker’ in the building’s basement. The ever-changing exhibition programme also showcases up-and-coming talent, which makes it a perfect place to discover new artists.

Founded by the graffiti artist who shares its name, Pure Evil was born out of a successful temporary exhibition in 2006. Far from being a traditional white cube, this gallery has expanded into the clothing market and encompasses a second ‘department store’ space on the same Shoreditch street. The brand has gone even further in recent years, producing its own music and monthly radio show. In the original space expect to find the bright, neon paintings and stencils that made the artist famous, as well as works by other urban artists such as Eine, Roa and Barry McGee.

As a gallery devoted to artists “influenced by life’s prevailing subcultures”, StolenSpace exhibits works by graffiti artists, graphic artists, sculptors and painters in its 1,000-square-foot (92.9-square-metre) premises at the south end of Brick Lane. It often investigates the axis where underground art production meets conventional practices, such as abstraction and minimalism. The result is an ever-changing programme of innovative artists such as Gary Stranger, known for his beautiful typography, and Haroshi, who creates sculptures from discarded skateboards.

With gallery sites in Shoreditch and (much farther north) in Crouch End, Jealous presents solo and group exhibitions based around works that have been produced at the gallery’s print studios, as well as supporting an impressive series of collaborative enterprises. These include the Jealous Needs You project, which uses an open submission process in order to select emerging artists, designers and illustrators for new editions, and the Jealous Prize, which awards MA graduates from leading London art colleges the opportunity to develop a print to be sold at the galleries.