“Hey Woosters. I was looking for some files the
other day, and stumbled across this photo of my first Street Gallery from 2001
(this was the original inspiration for the Finders Keepers shows) and I also
found an essay I’d written, possibly trying to justify my actions to friends who
didn’t understand why I was leaving paintings in the street!! Maybe it’ll make
interesting reading, or maybe it’s art bullshit the streets don’t need… I’ll
let the people be the judge! Hollywood show looks awesome, looking forward to
seeing the zine. greeting from the streets of London”... CHIMP

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Illegal Street Gallery


Or Ways To Disrupt Consumption and Production

By
Dave the Chimp

I make art primarily to clear my head of all the shit
that gathers there, and secondly to disrupt both production and consumption.
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A piece of art is a completely non-logical waste of money. A painting
has no use other than that which its creation gives the artist, or as a product
to be bought and sold. In the case of a graffiti piece, which can neither be
purchased, or put up for sale, it’s only purpose is how making it changes and
effects the artist (though it is worth mentioning a graf piece also acts as an
advertisement for the artist, and a way of destroying anothers property,
depending on the reason for it’s creation).

A piece of art, once
purchased, continues to act as a way of wasting money. In this modern age, time
IS money. Time spent in contemplation of art, whether for long periods or for a
few distracted seconds, is a time when the viewer is neither designing or
manufacturing new products or consuming any of the myriad products, services or
entertainment options that crowd our daily lives. Whilst lost in a painting you
can not drive your car, buy fast food, or create TV commercials for toilet
paper. Art is disruptive.

With this in mind, the next step is to get
art infront of peoples eyes, as only then can it disrupt. Painting on walls and
objects in the urban environment is a step forward, but due to it being in the
streets, a place full of constantly moving people and traffic, it only has the
power to distract or confuse for mere moments. An art piece in the home has the
opportunity to draw attention whenever the space is occupied, and for greater
periods of time due to the absence of distractions and protection from the
elements. A painting becomes an undercover agent for the fight against
consumerism.

How do we get these ‘undercover art agents’ into peoples
homes? The obvious solution is to sell them, but this limits their effects to
those able to afford to ‘waste’ money on buying art. All well and good, but what
about the people who don’t have money to spare, let alone waste on buying a
painting or sculpture? It was with these people in mind that I created my first
illegal street gallery. 13 paintings of various sizes and a sculpture were hung
along the wall of an alleyway in Clerkenwell, and the surrounding area bombed
with posters advertising the opening of the gallery early the following morning.
The paintings were free to anyone that liked them enough to get their hands
dirty wrenching them from the walls. Within 24 hours the alleyway was once again
empty, and 14 agents had new homes and were ready to start their mission of time
consumption and consumer disruption.

Footnote to artists: Starting
your own Street Gallery is a good way to clear the backlog of paintings you
can’t sell, or don’t want to give as gifts. So clear out those studios and set
up your illegal street gallery now. Don’t delay - disrupt today!