We are all getting pretty used to seeing various forms of street art and graffiti, particularly where I live in the east end of london. It has fallen in and out of favour over the past 30 or so years, and, depending on your viewpoint, is either considered an eyesore, a blight on the urban landscape, going hand in hand with street crime and the decay of moral values, or as a valid and valuable art form produced by those who rarely have a voice. Thanks to artists like Banksy, who’s valuable street art is immediately covered by protective plexiglass as soon as it is discovered by the owners of the building he has chosen, street art is very much in vogue and artists can command hefty sums for their canvas’. Many graffiti artists are clearly very talented, and the quality of their work is undeniable, and i think in many peoples eyes there is a clear distinction between this designed and well produced artwork and the less thought out tagging and rather mindless scrawl that often accompanies it. Whatever your view point it is difficult to deny the artistic value of much of this work, like that produced by Remi/Rough, who has been painting for 20 years, and has been asked to paint at the Museum of Modern Art in Santander, Spain. He is a major name on the street art scene and has a show of his latest paintings at the Urban angel Gallery in Shoreditch at the moment. Definitely worth checking out. What are your views on street art?

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