There’s not many shows where you actually guarantee the level of interest will be so high that the guest list books out and anyone who is anyone will want to get along to see it.
With the first solo show from talented street artist Fanakapan that was exactly the case at the BSMT Space gallery in Dalston. For years now the artist has been painting the walls of the East End. He has some particular favourite spots and his work can often be seen in the car park of the old Seven Stars pub just off Brick Lane, a popular spot for art lovers in the East End.
There his style has evolved from painting Bertie Bassett assembled characters based on liquorice allsorts into creating crazy 3D images from shiny silver balloons arranged in a variety of patterns. It’s the sort of work which is guaranteed to get noticed and the honing of his style has made him one of the most accomplished street artists working in London today.
A natural born creative Fanakapan lends his artistic talents to other areas away from the street. He designs sets and props for movies, TV and theatre as well as doing work online and now of course on canvas. Recently he returned from Dubai where he painted a huge mural as part of the Dubai canvas festival, street art event featuring some of the world’s top street art talents.
The show in BSMT Space features much of the style of work for which he has become known yet more than ever emphasises the dual nature of his work. The backgrounds matter just as much as the main bulk of the painting itself. The painting of a balloon letter ‘T’ for example is set against the backdrop of teabag stains, whilst the work ‘Shit’ painted onto an old TV monitor is surrounded by balloon flies on adjoining walls. My particular favourite, a commentary on the global economy with the word ‘YES’ created out of the symbols for the Yen, Euro and Dollar painted onto monopoly money.
At the opening night itself, the artist wasn’t to be seen much. Quietly keeping himself to himself, Fanakapan is an artist who seems to prefer to sit back in a crowd but when engaged in one to one conversation his passion for the work comes through. When painting on the street his focus will be complete, fully in the zone as he blocks out the world around him in order to create some of the best street art in the city.
‘Inflation’ by Fanakapan at the BSMT Space gallery in Dalston launched on 7 April 2016 and runs until 24 April 2016. The gallery can be found at 5D Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 8BH. For photos from Fanakapan’s 2nd solo show in London ‘Helios’ have a look here.