Street Art: From Around the World

by Garry Hunter

Our towns and cities are saturated with the imagery of commerce and advertising, but alongside it a new creative phenomenon is demanding our attention: art, on the street, available for everyone to see. Banksy, Blek le Rat, Os Gemeos and JR are just some of the major practitioners whose works are showcased in this book. From huge murals to exquisite miniature are that can easily be missed, the examples here are powerful expression of what it is to be a modern human living in an urban landscape.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Photography

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Garry Hunter is a professional photographer and independent curator. Based in London, he is the founder and Creative Director of the Fitzrovia Noir community arts initiative, a group that specializes in installations in non-gallery spaces and urban sites undergoing major transition. His passion for street are and urban exploration has taken him all over the world. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Reviews

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

To check out all of the artist links and images referenced in this review be sure to read the review on my blog Reading Robyn

Whenever I see truly captivating street art I always wish I could take a peek inside the artist's mind. I'm begging for context. Why do they do what they do? Why were they inspired to create what they have created? Street Art: From Around the World gives a lot of information about the changing landscape of street art through focusing on well known street artists.

This book takes a look at art done by the people best known for signing their name to the medium of street art at large. Despite the fact that there are plenty of names in this book you will probably have heard of before, there are also plenty of artists that you will be more then happy to be introduced to. (Like Jimmy C and his drip paintings as seen to the left). This works out great because it limits the scope to focusing only on people who are out spoken about what they do and their methods. This is a lot more informative then trying to devolve details from anonymous street artists who come and go in the middle of the night or people who are more concerned about not getting arrested. Information is known about these artists and they are a lot more open about the statement their trying to make and where their methods come from.

You're getting introduced to a person and not just a single photograph of something cool. In Street Art: From Around the World the artists are not interviewed or quoted outright, but Garry Hunter has done enough research that their personalities and careers shine through along side full glossy photographs of their work with every magnificent detail in perfect focus.

Because of this focus we also get an interesting look at the acceptance and commercialization of street art. It's a topic weaved throughout the book as Hunter emphasises the ways some of these street artists have gotten recognized in more traditional ways. Having taken their work from the street to galleries, professional partnerships, and community initiatives.

One of the most fascinating instances of this in the book was Nek Chand from Chandigarh, India and his Rock Garden. You can see photos, videos, and a lot of information about the Rock Garden on the Nek Chand Foundation website. It takes street art to an entire new level.

"When Nek Chand’s magic kingdom was first discovered it should, by rights, have been destroyed. It was built illegally on government owned land, in violation of strict planning laws that protected Le Corbusier’s 'City Beautiful', where everything had to be a part of the great master plan. Many politicians demanded the Rock Garden's destruction as an illegal development. Others, following public opinion and their own tolerant enlightenment, ensured that the Rock Garden became a well funded public park. Nek Chand was relieved of his duties as a government roads inspector and given a salary to continue with the expansion of the Rock Garden with the title 'Creator-Director'." - Nek Chand Foundation Website

In the book we are introduced to artists via their chosen medium. There are artists that use posters, paint, multi-medium, photography, carving, sculpture, mosaic, etc. The variety of styles and purposes was absolutely amazing!

Another remarkable artist that this book introduced me to is VHILS and his wall carving! He uses tools to carve into the distressed walls of urban environments and then paints it to create a breathtaking image. It's just so WOW that I can't even begin to describe it. To see some of his work in full detail check out his website!

I loved having this book give me more then just a collection of photographs and that is what I ended up enjoying about it. I would definitely recommend this as a starter book for anyone interested in learning the basics of what street art really is as well as the people they should be keeping an eye out for. It's easy to read, there isn't a lot of long or drawn out paragraphs, and it provides talking points that I just haven't seen in other books about street art.

This is a stunning look at just what is possible with a creative mind and a wall to paint on.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m all for books which recognise and legitimise any art form which is traditionally treated with disdain or snobbery. We see street art as a valid and thought provoking discipline. Although there is a strong emphasis on the work found in London and New York City, we still get a broader insight into some provocative and memorable work from Bologna, Ghent, Chandigarh, Sao Paulo, Adelaide and Auckland as well as many other spots.

We get a look at some fine examples of stencil, poster and paint art as well as some other media. One of my personal favourites from in here was the profile on General Howe and his so called ‘ministalations’ placed at sites of specific battles over in the US, involving mini plastic soldiers and posters etc, and then there is Invader from Paris who uses little ceramic tiles in his distinctive work and let's not forget Chewing Gum Man, who hails from the UK, he uses the discarded gum he finds in streets, using enamel paint, worked onto the gum and melts it with a blowtorch and seals it with varnish to protect them from decay.

We see that it is often the ephemeral nature of this work which gives it such a huge appeal. It is vulnerable forever exposed to the public and therefore prone to being removed or painted over at any time, not just by councils and shop keepers, but there is also the possibility of other, fellow artists doing so too. The fact that so much of street art is done by anonymous people also adds a charged mystique, which just adds to the greater fun of it all.

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite interesting

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but fascinating overview of recent street art worldwide. Sadly any overview of this sort faces two problems - first, the genre is moving so fast that any book is out of date almost as soon as it hits the shelves; second, by its very nature, street artists often work underground, and any small book isn't going to do more than lightly brush the surface of an enormous, often anonymous, iceberg. Despite this, the book contains a lot of interesting work and thankfully doesn't simply concentrate on the usual locations (US, Japan, Western Europe), providing a bit of insight into the art scene as it was (and may still be) in more exotic spots worldwide.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book goes into different styles of street art around the world exhibiting artists from around the world. However, I thought that most of the artists and photos were from the US, UK and France with a few of them from other countries. Some good photos but if you are looking for the social causes or the underground movement behind street art, this comes up a bit short.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well laid out, good photos, good selection. Includes blek le rat, banksy, c215, evol, blu, roa, jimmy c, phlegm, stik, eine, bmd (plumbing animals in Auckland), os gemeos, invader, vhils, chewing gum man. Zezao

[Fenris Oswin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this book on my shelf with a few others on street photography and art.

Split in to the various techniques of art creation, it leads the reader through an exciting visual tour of where street art is today.

Excellently put together and the accompanying text by Garry Hunter shows that the author knows what he is on about.

If you have any interest in street art, you will already have this book either on order or already in your collection!

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is text light, so it's not the best source if you want insight into the world of street art. However, this does present a good selection of works. Street art is ephemeral, so this book preserves many works that may have disappeared. I particularly liked the section at the end in which collaborations between artists were highlighted. This is pretty unusual since many street art books isolate the works of artists.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very nice photos of all the different types of street art that can be created. I just found it very lacking on info about everything else. I do know it can be hard getting info on an artist that doesn't want to say a lot or be found, due to what they are doing being illegal in a lot of places, but I just found what was written, written poorly.

[Luis Stolz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comentarios

Buen libro, buena exposición de imágenes. Históricamente no lleva una secuencia, pero entiendo también que no es un libro histórico.

[Jozef Melichár · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pekná kniha. Mojím súkromným projektom bude pozrieť si diela naživo.