It's a rough and tumble kind of place with a chequered history. It's also home to a massive amount of creatives. when I moved here in 2001 it apparently had the highest concentration of artists and craftspeople in Western Europe. It was tatty, with a lot of gunshots, the local council was in a bit of a mess and the infrastructure (lack thereof) made it a bit isolated for a ZONE 2 area. A lot has changed since then. It briefly became the hippest place on the entire planet, mone moved in, the gunfire stopped and the Olympics came to town. It's always been a place full of energy and has a unique vibe. It's reported as the most cosmopolitan place in the UK with over 40 languages routinely spoken in the borough. It's also a haven for street art and street artists as well as filmmakers, musicians, sculptors, raconteurs and film stars. Here's a few of my favourites from a near 20 year collection.
This hand painted mural on a disused building on Hackney Road tells a story about the area's Asian community. I'm not sure who the characters are, perhaps film characters from a movie but the crispness of the work makes you stop and stare
ROA's crack addled epic animal series has a few examples in Hackney. This haunted Hare reminding me of Watership Down is tucked into the side of a shop sticking out from the houses behind and somehow has not been enveloped by the creeping vine. It's a lovely example, smaller than the often huge pieces and unlike many ROA artworks, it's near enough to be touched
Near Essex Road on a neutral concrete background this excellent stencil of a kid with a rocket launcher reminded me of something out of 2000AD comic. In the classic Banksy style it is both photorealistic and makes a statement. The black on netural gives it a stylised look which is recognisable
Sometimes a location can frame a piece of street art. This stencil piece near Brick Lane is Jack the RIpper territory and this Victorian caped Gent is spooky with his drip work trailing off. Brick Lane is a haven and treasure trove of world class street art. It does receive 100,000's of visitors on a bright Sunday with it's street markets, world food courts, vintage shops and famous beigel delicacies and there always plenty of people like me documenting the transient art before it gets replaced, removed, washed off
This garage door in Clapton could make the owner rich. His work sells for big money these days. STIX has made a lot of art in Hackney over the years, sometimes in places which seem unbelievable, like half way up the chimney of the Laundry at about 100ft in the air. His signature characters often make great use of the natural canvases they find themselves in and may sit in a doorway or lie along a wall. His work is at home in Hackney and the local hospital commissioned him for their garden. That's Homerton Hospital. How hip can you get for A&E?
Building site hoardings are a great place for street art. In the old days street artists would use the natural canvas (and still do) but often developers ask street artists to brighten them up. What happens to them when they are finished with is a mystery. I'd like to think they are kept. This series of characters on a building site hoarding in Clapton is both painterly and surreal. The two faced characters are reminiscent of mime artists and although I don't know the artist's work (to be honest, I'm not that bothered about who the artists are generally, as some of the best work is by unknown people) it has an obvious style and was probably a commissioned piece. I really like it. Street art can add something to an environment. It has nothing to do with tagging, which is ostensibly a territory activity and there's nothing worse than seeing a great piece of work tagged. Luckily in Hackney, most of the taggers know to avoid the genuinely good work
