Gallery Without Walls Project Two launched at the LCB Depot in Leicester on 28th September. Bigger and better than before. The collaboration with Graffwerk was a documentary style look behind the graffiti scene at the relationship between graffiti and public transportation.

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

AN INTERVIEW WITH GRAFFWERK

Tell me about Graffwerk

Graffwerk is a team with the aim of supporting artists whilst developing the visual landscape of our home city of Leicester. We work on various projects. Working with clients and artists to create artworks is a big part of what we do.

GWW02 the exhibition was behind the scene with Graffwerk- a documentary spin on things- lots of photography- what's is like working with the guys?

It was a really cool project for us to work on. We felt the GWW team really cared about what they were doing. It was important to them that the artists had a sense of ownership on the project and that was key.

What were the main goals for the exhibition?

We wanted to involve genuine grassroots graffiti writers. We’ve found that there are a lot of projects that claim ‘graffiti’ that have no authenticity. By giving writers the ability to submit anonymously we could support a great project with some great images.

Will Graffwerk stay local to Leicester or do you have plans to branch out?

Graffwerk has worked on a number of projects outside of Leicester and we expect to continue this. It’s great to develop relationships both in and outside of the city. This way we can always push forward.

How do you feel about the way the the government treats writers -The fortunate are increasingly earning commissions to help gentrify towns and city's whilst the unfortunate are imprisoned for criminal damage?

We find the whole situation riddled with hypocrisy. Writers are celebrated and demonised in equal measure. It’s great when a city recognises the value of supporting artworks and offers up their walls. But it’s important to understand that graffiti comes in many forms. The term literature covers a vast array of genres, standards and styles. It’s the same with graffiti. To me there is a lot of value in a handstyle. There is a real skill there. And just because something isn’t your thing doesn’t mean it’s no good.

A graffiti writer will serve more time than a paedophile. A prime example was when Stuart Hall was convicted of the sexual assault of 13 girls. He was sentenced to just 15 months. On the same day the writer VAMP was sentenced to 3 years for vandalism. That is just disgusting.

Is there a question of legitimacy/recognition for some of the guys- some seemed really excited to be part of GWW - it was actually quite touching.

A lot of the guys really enjoyed being part of it as they hadn’t exhibited in a formal exhibition before that. Others had but found this to be a bit more unique. I think a lot of the artists liked that the artwork was to be exhibited throughout the city.

For people that are new to the graffiti scene & the festival, your mainstream agenda seems to be paying off? are you pleased with the way things are going?

We are definitely pleased with how things are moving forward. We are confident we can push forward whilst staying true to ourselves and what we are about. We won’t compromise our values for the sake of a project.

What's next for Graffwerk?

We’re working on a lot of projects. Bring The Paint 2019 is one of our priorities as is our new project: The Graffwerk Mill. We’ve recently signed the lease on a huge warehouse which we are converting into a multi-functioning arts centre. You can expect to see this open at the beginning of 2019. Besides that, more walls, more werks and more paint…

The Graffwerk x GWW02 Series explores the transport heritage around graffiti. We created a series of art prints and made them available in an online shop.

Gallery Without Walls is a platform for the distribution of artworks across multiple traditional or untraditional spaces around Leicester. We curate exhibitions, collaborate on events and experiment with new ways of displaying art within the city. Our aim is to increase exposure to the arts for the benefit of creatives, venues and the wider community.

Gallery Without Walls 02

Gallery Without Walls Project Two launched at the LCB Depot in Leicester on 28th September. Bigger and better than before. The collaboration with Graffwerk was a documentary style look behind the graffiti scene at the relationship between graffiti and public transportation.

AN INTERVIEW WITH GRAFFWERK

The Graffwerk x GWW02 Series explores the transport heritage around graffiti. We created a series of art prints and made them available in an online shop.