I finally got to go back to London today to see what has changed on the walls in the past three weeks. As you may know from three weeks ago, I blogged in my Changes and Goodbyes post that my contract at the agency that I was at in London had come to an end. As a result, I am now not currently working in London, though I had been starting to look for a place to live there until that happened. Initially, accommodation in London was out of my reach (and still is, but I've managed to save a little) and I was actually working near to where I currently live at the time. In fact, I signed the papers for my flat on the same day that my position at that local company was made redundant, which was unforeseen. I've since been primarily working in London and commuting, which I dislike. Unexpected happenings (the Fates, as they are known in mythology, I guess) sometimes throw spanners in life.
Moving on, I saw this progress in work on the Village Underground Wall in east London during my last week and a half in London. When I visited it on the day before my last day, my heart sank as I realised that it would not be finished before I left London. I was worried that I would never seen it finished and would only see it vandalised when I did see it. Often, work does get vandalised in London. And yes, this piece did, and the message was not a nice one to the artist, and I've used Photoshop to patch it up. Luckily, those who vandalised the work did not paint over the important aspects of the mural, and it was only in the 'white space' where the damage was done.
The mural is by Iranian artist Mehdi Ghadyanloo. Most of his work can be seen in his home city of Tehran, where he is very popular and also paid to paint the empty walls of the city. He is a master in the use of perspectie, so it appears that the subjects jump out from the wall. The image on the Village Underground shows children skipping rope. The one jumping is almost jumping high enough to reach the opening to freedome but also to where two giant crows wait to snatch him.
His work does bring colour to the streets, and I've had a look at some of his work in Tehran, and it really does brighten up the boring and blank walls of the buildings.
A few buildings down, the artist has painted a smaller piece on the side of a restaurant. It features several 'clones' being sucked into two black holes. Across the street is another piece by the artist featuring a figure walking on a tightrope toward a black hole. I wonder if both holes lead into an infinite loop.
The artist's work is currently on display at Howard Griffin Gallery in London until the 2nd of April. For more artwork, view the artist's official gallery here: https://www.behance.net/ghadyy
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