The Upstart Street Art of Moniker

Organizers of the Moniker Art Fair in East London acknowledge their four-day event is a blatant attempt to capitalize on the much larger Frieze Art Fair in central London, but it's all in the name of giving emerging artists a boost.

Published

7 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Europe

People

Frankie Shea, Spencer Hyman

Places

London, United Kingdom

Transcript

If you're looking to attract attention in the art world, it helps to begin NAT SOUND with a bang. Timed to coincide with the much bigger, much glitzier Frieze art fair in central London, Moniker is where street art gets the gallery treatment. RemiRough is a veteran of London's graffiti scene. These days he gets paid to give buildings a dash of colour. SOUNDBITE: RemiRough, Artist, saying (English) "So I've basically done this project called 30th and time which is a referential point to a very large mural to a very large mural I did in King's Cross which I believe is pretty much the biggest mural in London." Kate Middleton and Jay Z with Mickey Mouse ears - check. A Warholian take on all things pop - indeed. Moniker - now in its third year - is building a name for itself by featuring the work of up and coming artists like Pakpoom Silaphan. Frankie Shea is an art dealer and the event's organiser. SOUNDBITE: Frankie Shea, Moniker Founder, saying (English) "I often show artists at Moniker, or give them a platform, then a couple of years down the line they're almost inaccessible to the average collector." One work that's been created for the show comes in the form of an iBook by the London startup ArtFinder. Founded by Spencer Hyman, who'd previously worked with the music discovery site LastFM, the company is looking to build awareness of art through technology. SOUNDBITE: Spencer Hyman, ArtFinder Founder and CEO saying (English) "If you talk to most people, whereas with music they listen to it on an almost daily basis. Books, it's the same. Art - most people love art but they don't know how to get it into their lives on a daily basis. For most people it's really hard to find art, find out about art and find out where to buy art." The east London neigbourhood where this show is taking place is the site of several Banksy paintings - probably the world's best known street artist, though his exact identity remains a mystery. And while it's dwarfed by the size and scale of the Frieze art fair in central London, the hope is that collectors will be wooed out this way in the hopes of discovering the art world's next sensation. Matt Cowan, Reuters