Steve Lazarides: Graffiti gallery taking art back onto the streets

Graffiti art is spilling back out onto the streets, as the gallery that has championed the form opens a city-wide display of its stars today.
Dealer Steve Lazarides (foto) is showing balloon sculptures in Tottenham Court Road, billboards in Shoreditch and murals in Ladbroke Grove.
This is alongside new work in his two central London galleries — in Greek Street, and in his giant new venue in Rathbone Place off Oxford Street.
Lazarides set up his business six years ago and has been instrumental in developing the careers of several street artists including Banksy.
Grifters, the main show in Rathbone Place, will include work by graffiti artists such as David Choe, Faile and Antony Micallef but also includes artists such as Jonathan Yeo, best known for his portraits, and Polly Morgan, a rising star for her taxidermy-based sculptures. Lucy McLauchlan will connect all four floors of the building with a stairwell installation, while American artist Mark Jenkins will present a room of life-sized hanging figures.
But eagle-eyed Londoners might spot pieces by Banksy collaborator Paul Insect, a mosaic by Invader, billboards by David Choe in Shoreditch or work by Conor Harrington and Charlie Isoe in Covent Garden.
Choe, along with Mark Jenkins, came in from the US to create work for the city-wide display. Vhils flew in from his native Portugal and Invader from France.
The Greek Street gallery will offer prints, posters, drawings and other collectibles in the festive season.
Ralph Taylor, one of the Lazarides gallery directors, said: “We’ve always worked with a lot of artists who produce work for a gallery setting but also paint on walls. With someone like Conor Harrington, he straddles the line between fine art and graffiti.
“It’s Christmas, we’ve been in our new premises for six months, so we thought, Why not have a group show and let the artists spill out onto the streets?”
The works have been going up around London for days and have already generated a buzz, he added. Most were signed.
“Lots of people have bumped into the artists while they were doing the work. David Choe was working in Oxford Street and ended up with a huge crowd who applauded when he finished.”
Mr Taylor said: “We’re not trying to take over the whole city but make the city a little bit more of a beautiful place for a few weeks.”
The new show runs until 14 January, and coincides with the launch of the gallery’s new online shop, shopatlazarides.com
(source: London Evening)