I’d parked my bike on Portobello Road when I went to the opening of Aito Mugenzikkou’s new solo show at Graffik Gallery. When I returned later a man was crouching down near it. A DSLR flash went off as I approached.
‘I just thought it was kinda cool,’ said the man as he stood up.
They have good taste in Notting Hill.
Graffik has been open since 2009 and is dedicated to Urban Art. A street-level gallery, outside space and downstairs exhibition room make intimate spaces to display the work of the very latest street artists. Japanese artist AITO has been working in London for two years and this show is the first chance for collectors to get his stencils on canvas. He has also created work on the street nearby and in the Graffik garden at the rear of the gallery.
‘I want to make power of persuasion with this piece’, he told me, talking about his favourite work in the show. A male figure is depicted as a marionette, the strings working his arms and legs connected to a the word RULE emblazoned at the top of the canvas. His images are generally sparse, a central motif, usually human and the background blank. ‘I’m always trying to make more simple,’ he explained.
These images are being pitched as a Japanese version of Banksy. That’s a big claim, but the gallery pieces don’t yet have Banksy’s humour or immediacy. This is regret is a simple elegy for lost time whilst Principal is etched with unfulfilled ambition – although of course it’s actually created in spray paint. A skateboarding granny adds to the fun.
Later this year Aito is returning to Japan, a country with zero tolerance for street art. It will be interesting to see how his work develops.
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