One Foot In The Grove: A Winter Wonderland

A festival of underground art has launched around Ladbroke Grove, off London’s Portobello Road and under the West Way Road Bridge, engaging the local neighborhood in a unique experience similar to the weekly market, but instead celebrating the world of alternative art.

With over 12,000 square foot dedicated to the experience, festival go-ers can walk through a winter wonderland of installations, giant sculptures and artwork by over 130 emerging and established artists including Imbue, Shok1, Shephard Fairy, and Solo One.  With their debut show, ‘Behind The Shutters’ already under their belts at the Cordy House party venue in Shoreditch, MuTATE Britain decided to push their next project.

‘Mixing our artwork into a big event where people have a good time makes it come alive, and that’s what we’re about – making our work accessible by putting on a proper party’, says Joe Rush, one of the festival’s co-founders.

This particular part of West London became a new haven for street artists such as Future 2000 (at that time touring with The Clash) and Mode 2 in the early 1980s, anchoring the neighborhood as a primary location for graffiti and street art.   Designed as more than just an exhibition, the gallery room offers an array of posters, prints and photography all for sale as more valuable gifts than the usual high street consumer goods.  A licensed bar and café invites guests to stay, with food from BBC TV Food chefs, Andi Oliver and Neneh Cherry.

[via MuTATE Britain]

One Foot in the Grove continues till December 22nd