BEYOND THE STREETS is a global art-driven cultural and educational movement, describes as celebrating “the mark-makers and rule-breakers, the agitators and instigators.” They are known for massive-scale exhibitions, with a unique focus is on graffiti and street art creators who push the boundaries of art. Their inaugural 2018 exhibition, hosted in a 40,000-square-foot industrial space in the heart of Los Angeles, was considered the largest ever exhibition of street and graffiti artworks. Shows in New York City, Southampton, Shanghai and London quickly followed, with their most recent exhibition running in Paris’ Grande Halle de la Villette earlier this year. Now, they’ve set their sights on Saatchi Gallery, presenting an all-new exhibition of new, historic and previously unseen works by leading figures in global street culture.
The landmark exhibition traces six decades of the extraordinary influence of street culture on contemporary art, photography, fashion, music and activism. The story is told through innovators and legends from graffiti, street art, hip-hop, 2Tone and a wider ecosystem of people willing to take risks, reshaping the world around them. BEYOND THE STREETS transforms Saatchi Gallery into an immersive journey through the history of street culture and its ongoing impact. Spanning more than 10 rooms and bringing together over 100 international creators, the show features paintings, sculptures, fashion, ephemera, large-scale installations, site-specific interventions, immersive environments, historic works, new commissions, rare archives and interactive experiences. Together, the works – many of which have been created specifically for Saatchi – form a multilayered portrait of street culture: one that can be explored, experienced and felt rather than simply viewed.
The expansive exhibition features UK drum’n’bass pioneer GOLDIE; internationally renowned artist KAWS; notorious feminist artist the Guerilla Girls; a tribute to one of the most stolen books in the world, Subway Art; a spray paint infinity room; the artists behind the legendary icons of 2Tone – Beat Girl and Walt Jabsco; a short film from Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova; an animated puppet show; and Damien Hirst. This diverse list gives an insight into the vast range of work on display. There is truly something for everything, and audiences are constantly reminded of the far-ranging influence of street art on almost every facet of contemporary practice. GOLDIE said: “Within any major city there is an interior of graffiti writers, overground and underground. It’s all one unbelievable continuous storyline and phenomenon. As much as the governments try to erase us, BEYOND THE STREETS proves there is enough interest in and documentation of this culture to allow us to rise up.”
There’s an entire room dedicated to activism, something innately tied up with street art. Consider Banksy’s political installations, such as his 2025 mural outside of the Royal Courts of Justice, which depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-covered placard, whilst a judge, in the full regalia of wig and gown, wields a gavel over him. The artwork was promptly scrubbed from the wall, with the building’s listed stated cited as reasoning for its removal. At Saatchi Gallery, featured images include work from Black Panthers’ official photographer Neil Kenlock; a video piece from Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, who spent two years in Russian prison for her 2012 protest performance Punk Prayer; as well as the archive of the See Red Women’s Workship, a London screen printing studio which produced some of the Women’s Liberation Movement’s most significant imagery from 1974-1990. Also included is Shepard Fairey’s HOPE portrait, which was associated with Barack Obama’s successful 2008 campaign to become president. Here, the point the exhibition is trying to make comes flooding to the fore. This is street art, produced by a practitioner who made his name on the graffiti scene, playing a vital role on the biggest political stage in the world. If street art has a role here, it can have an influence anywhere.
Roger Gastman, Founder and Lead Curator of BEYOND THE STREETS, says: “This exhibition is not about nostalgia or spectacle; it is about respect and truth. It is alive. Continuously evolving, continuously rewritten, shaped by the culture it serves. I believe the work we present is as vital, needed and relevant today as it ever was.” He sums up the essence of this show perfect: it is alive. There is an energy and dynamism that is unique to street art, and yet runs through each piece of featured contemporary art. Here, the history of creative practice is something to run with, testing the boundaries of what is possible.
BEYOND THE STREETS is at Saatchi Gallery, London from 11 November – 5 May: saatchigallery.com/
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Chantal Pinzi image from her Shred the Patriarchy series. Minch, Ethiopia. Skaters Pose for a portrait in Konso after a training session at a newly completed skatepark. Photo by Chantal Pinzi.
2. Kids on the way to the Beat Street premiere in London. 1984. Photo by Martha Cooper.
3. Drift. Don’t Fear The Reaper. 2023. Photo by Drift.
4. IZ THE WIZ. Various NYC subway transit artworks. 1982-1983. Photos by IZ THE WIZ.
