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London has an incredible, and always evolving, street art scene. I can tell you the areas to look but what you see will almost certainly be different when you visit. To ensure you see the best you really need an expert guide who is there regularly and who truly knows the scene.

Shoreditch Street Art Tours started in 2013 but the founder has been involved with London street art for over 10 years. I first came across David about 5 years ago when he started running street art tours and I've followed his photography since then.

In 2011 he was part of a London street art photography exhibition at the ICA so his work is well-respected and he knows many of the artists who leave their work on walls across London.

 

About The Tours

 

Shoreditch has the highest density of street art in London so is an excellent area to explore. Close to the City of London with its large financial institutions, Shoreditch has been an area of immigration and poverty for centuries. Today, it still has a diverse population and the old industrial properties attract trendy start-up companies. The industrial warehouses now used as architect offices were the location for warehouse parties around 2000-2001 which was the start of the London street art scene.

Shoreditch Street Art Tours run regularly (check website for latest dates and times) and no two tours will be the same as the street art really does change that often. Some large pieces have remained for years but there's always something new to see.

Dave includes the history of the area as you walk along as well as interesting buildings to notice.

He will happily gives photography tips as he also runs street art photography workshops and my daughter and I tried more tightly cropped images as well as wider views for more context.

It's a well-thought out walk as there are links from the lamp posts covered in stickers, that many of us never stop to look at, to the large-scale pieces by big names.

On The Tour

We discussed the differences between street art and graffiti which I didn't know was so simple yet also so complex. The simple answer is that street art has no lettering but there are some street artists who do use lettering yet as they use a roller and not a spray can they are still a street artist and not a graffiti artist. Confused yet? Dripping paint is loved by street artists and despised by graffiti artists so is another clue but really you need to chat to Dave about this subject as he knows much more.

We stopped to see artwork conflicts between street artists and graffiti artists and between street artists not necessarily knowing what their new work was covering over.

Because Dave has known the scene for so long he knows the artists that work together and how they have developed their styles and techniques.

Shoreditch doesn't just have UK street artists' work on display but many international artists also leave their mark here regularly such as C215 who is a French artist who uses layered stencils for much more detailed artworks, and Shepard Fairey who produced the iconic HOPE poster for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign.

Not all street art involves paint as many do paste-up art which is basically shaped-images glued to the wall. VHILS is a Portuguese artist who uses a drill to remove plaster and brickwork from walls to create intricate faces. And we saw plenty of sculptural objects stuck high on walls ranging from simple children's toys to intricate bronze castings from an east London street artist known as Jonesy. His pieces have an environmental message but much of the artwork seems to not have a political or protest agenda but to just be about the art.

And not all street art needs a wall as we actually found a new piece by Ben Wilson who paints on discarded chewing gum on the pavement!

No street art tour in London can omit the most well-known name so we saw some original Banksy artworks and Dave knew where we could find many more.

I know London well and this tour took me down streets I'd never been to before while also introducing me to many new street artists. It definitely reawakened my enthusiasm for the subject and I'm happy to recommend Shoreditch Street Art Tours.

Official Website:www.shoreditchstreetarttours.co.uk

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You can also book a London Street Art Walking Tour through Viator.