A Visual Feast is an ambitious work. A look at “stencils, paste ups, murals and portraits” from Irish street artists, it covers such diverse canvases as the walls of Free Derry and the backlanes of Dublin 8. It provides a fascinating insight into not alone the works we find on the walls of the capital and beyond, but those who place them there too.
“Take some paint. Any paint. Even markers or pencils. Make a poster on paper if you have to. Go outside and change the world to how you want it to be”
So Canvaz tells us. He’s done just that, and he is by no means alone. Within the pages of A Visual Feast we find not alone Canvaz and his clever ‘Celtic Tiger Prawn Soup’ effort by Temple Bar, but other artists taking a message to the street. They range from the excellent and very polished works of the likes of ESPO and Maser to homemade stickers, paste ups and stencils. ‘BERTIE’S SOUND BLOKE ROUTINE IS A CON’ one effort tells us. Perhaps it was the first time that person left the house in the early hours to leave a message for the rest of us the following morning.
The book is divided into six sections. Society, installation, religion, manifesto, portraits and city streets. ‘Society’ sees much social commentary on the economic collapse, for example ADW’s excellent broke leprechaun and the wonderful ‘GREED IS THE KNIFE AND THE SCARS RUN DEEP’ East Wall assessment of Damien Dempsey and Maser. Fascinating as the works of the high-profile names are, it is the “Artist unknown” pieces of social commentary that sometimes pack the heaviest punch.
Installation looks at the efforts of artists to interact with the public in unusual ways. A shirtless Brian Cowen in the National Gallery of course features, along with the efforts of Littleman which always raise a smile. The plaster lips will be a frequent sight to many Dubliners, and I personally enjoy rooting them out and seeing how long they remain in place, left alone.
'Famine and Byrne' Will St Leger.
A Visual Feast is an excellent look at the street art scene in Ireland, which focuses mainly but not exclusively on the capital. Many of the artists are new to the trade and one would have high hopes for the future of street art here. They certainly have enough to vent over. Will St Leger and ADW in particular have taken to the recession as an art subject, with the former even delivering an eviction notice to government HQ in style. Slogans, stickers and spraypaint are all over an angry city.
You can not walk through the streets of Dublin without encountering a ‘Lost’ effort from Asbestos, a piece of biting social commentary from Damien Dempsey or a clever homemade attack on Bertie or Biffo. Isn’t the city all the better for it? Nothing more boring than unmarked walls.
A Visual Feast is available now.It can be purchased from Easons,Urban Outfitters,Tower Records,GStar Stores,ANewSpace Gallery and All City. It can be bought online here.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
I often wonder just how much these sort of compendiums of street art are really publishing houses with a set of photographers ripping off the art and marketing it back.
Valid point that. But these guys seem to be quite genuine. They don’t seem to be linked with any major publisher (as far as I can tell?), and they seem to be quite involved on a community level. They had a gig in The Bernard Shaw in aid of the simon community. Could just be good marketing, but I’d like to think not.
Guys as a good friend of the duo who put this book together I can tell you it’s 100% not linked to a publishing house. They’re both interested in street art and put the book together themselves. I may be biased but I’m very impressed with it.
It’s an excellent work, delighted with the investment. Kaz, it seems a real labour of love to me.
Good to hear, Kaz. It’s a fine piece of documentary.
Fairs dues to them for getting the book published. However it’s just a collection of photographs (some are really badly shot) and some soundbites from a handful of street artists. Dunno how it took them two years to put this together. I think it was a missed opportunity.
[…] Lenihan, not to mention a few leprechaun’s with pockets outstretched. When The View reviewed A Visual Feast recently, several of his pieces were commented upon by the panel. Unfortunately the piece lasted […]