art market
Lucy Howie
KEO (Blake Lethem), installation view of “Love Watts Presents KEO XMEN” at Woodbury House, 2023. Courtesy of Woodbury Villas.
The term street art encompasses a wide range of vibrant artworks, from the paintings of Richard Hambleton to the surreal sculptures of Mark Jenkins. Inspired by graffiti and (as its title suggests) the visual expression of the streets, the unique nature of street art also creates challenges for collectors to display and arrange the works in their homes.
Whether you’re looking for a visual flow that harmonizes with your interior décor or optimizing how your pieces are displayed, this article offers experts five key tips to help you find the perfect balance when arranging your street art collection.
1. To frame or not to frame?
TOXIC, installation view of “All Imperfections Included” at Woodbury House, 2024. Courtesy of Woodbury House.
Street art pieces sometimes contain unique features and materials that affect how they are displayed. This is especially important when it comes to frameworks. Some pieces, such as Swoon’s, have a particularly raw beauty that may not lend themselves to traditional framing techniques. At the same time, it’s important to consider how to protect your work from damage.
“When the medium or support is fragile, such as a work on paper, which is much more delicate than a canvas, the frame can protect it from the elements,” said Lionel Simon of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. , including potentially harmful temperature fluctuations.” Next Street Gallery. “This is especially true if the support is very weak.”
Additionally, framing protects against light and UV rays, which can put artwork at risk without proper framing. It’s important to remember that framing is a way to enhance the inherent qualities of a piece, and considering the artist’s vision and intent (inspired by the street) can inform some of your decisions. “The application of frames may destroy the original and unrefined character of the work,” Simon advises.
2. Don’t limit your impressions by type
Exhibition view, from left to right are “Intruder” and Huang Yulong’s works. Courtesy of NextStreet Gallery.
Street art is often unfairly categorized as distinct from other fine art genres. The studio work of many graffiti-influenced artists, as well as their history of working on the streets, has a unique identity that often aligns more closely with other forms of figurative and abstract art.
“Just because an artist grew up working on the streets as a teenager does not necessarily reflect the nature of their work in the studio, so collectors should take this uniqueness of studio work into consideration when hanging their work to be embraced The quality is on par with other fine art genres,” said Roger Gastman of Beyond the Streets in Los Angeles.
However, when hanging your pieces, pay attention to the distinctive features of each piece. This is especially important for street art, where works are often imbued with meaning. “Street art often carries cultural, political or social messages rooted in its urban origins, so respecting this context preserves the integrity, cultural significance and significance of the work,” Lauren Barker of Woodbury House, London Lauren Barker said. “Display choices should be consistent with the artist’s vision.”
3. Pay attention to the process
If you’re looking to create a sense of flow when hanging a street-style collection in your home, focusing on key themes and balancing different styles and sizes are important considerations. “Consider placing different genres within the broader category of street art to display them in your home,” says Barker.
For example, if you have the work of stencil graffiti artist Blek le Rat, she recommends grouping them in a space to showcase the genre in a coherent way: “So different areas can be dedicated to different styles, like traditional graffiti Or an artist’s work,” she suggested. Ensuring your monitors have a uniform hanging height will establish their overall cohesion and is another way to create a sense of even flow.
4. Consider lighting
Installation view of Tim Conlon’s work. Photo by Anthony Avellano. Provided by Off the Street.
Unlike lighting in a gallery, where the purpose is to serve the artwork, well-designed lighting for a home environment is a balancing act between shaping the way your collection is perceived and creating the right atmosphere for your living space.
Given the three-dimensional nature of some street art pieces by the likes of Isaac Cordal, NextStreet’s Simon suggests using multiple directional lights to “highlight aspects of the surface.” “Priority must also be given to bulbs with a color temperature that ensures accurate rendering without distorting color,” he adds.
Simon points out that to ensure lighting is in harmony with the environment, “as much ambient lighting as possible should be used to complement the overall setting.”
5. Let your artwork breathe
Blek le Rat, installation view of “War and Peace” at Woodbury House, 2024. Courtesy of Woodbury House.
The bottom line, experts say, is that your home is first and foremost a living space before it’s a gallery, so there’s no need to strive for a perfect “white cube” effect when hanging your collection.
“Treat it like you would anything in your home,” says Beyond the Streets’ Gastman. “But when you hang the work, be sure to respect the artist’s intent. Continue to be inspired and let the art breathe.”
Simon said this could be a particularly important factor for street art, given the “variety of mediums used.” For example, JR’s photography and use of photomontage, or Ernest Pignon-Ernest’s dramatic charcoal drawings, have a completely different character from Keith Haring’s brightly colored, playful “pop shop” prints.
Whether you prefer a more minimalist look or the minimalist display of your collections, it’s important not to let your collections become overwhelmed by their surroundings. Rotate pieces regularly to keep the display fresh and also to highlight different pieces over time.
However, Simon also notes, “Don’t hesitate to play with contrast: pieces with a rich, vibrant palette will reveal their full potential against monochromatic, highly graphic pieces, and vice versa.”
