A Street Art Guide to Hackney & East London

From Banksy to Lord Napier – the Kip Hotel street art guide to East London.

East London is home to one of the world’s largest commissioned and uncommissioned collections of street art. Take a walk around Shoreditch or a stroll through Hackney Wick and you’ll discover some hidden, and some not so hidden graffiti masterpieces. Being in Hackney, Kip has some of the most impressive works of street art London has to offer on its doorstep, so when you stay with us make sure you take the opportunity to go out, explore and be inspired by the some of the greatest pieces of street art in the world!

Thierry Noir

French street artist Thierry Noir is one the forerunners of modern street art and is credited with being the first artist to paint the Berlin Wall. During his time in Berlin, he spent nearly six years painting his cartoon-like depictions of animals and humans on the wall at a time a when such artistic expression was strictly forbidden.

If you head to Wallis Road in Hackney Wick, you’ll find a fantastic example of his work on the side of a warehouse –  pictured above. This mural was done ahead of an exhibition of his called “Jazz” which was on display last year at the Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch. The bright block colours, as well as the cartoon nature of the figures, make this work instantly recognisable as the work of Thierry Noir.

Find it here: Wallis St, Hackney Wick

Banksy

One of the most controversial street artists in the world, the anonymous Banksy is also one of the most well-known. His distinctive stencilling technique is instantly recognisable worldwide and even 20 years after his first mural appeared, his identity has never been revealed.

Over the years, Banksy has made a number of Murals across London with east London being the focus for the majority of them. The one above has been called “Designated Graffiti Area” and can be found around the back of Cargo Club in Shoreditch.

Find it here: Cargo, 83 Rivington St, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3AY

Click here to see where you can still see original Banksy’s around east London

Louis Masai and Jim Vision

Above is a mural by campaigning street artists Louis Masai and Jim Vision. This mural on Hackney Road is part of a wider project called Save the Bees, which centres around raising awareness for our declining bee population.  Both Louis and Jim are both internationally recognised graffiti artists and have some pretty interesting projects going on. Louis predominantly does big projects focusing on endangered species, both here and in America and Jim works with London based mural agency EndoftheLine working on projects for large international brands.

To see more murals from the same series click here 

Find it: Hackney Road car park – other murals in part of the same series can be found throughout Shoreditch, Hackney and Bethnal Green

Lord Napier, Hackney Wick

What used to be the local boozer in Hackney Wick, is now a colourful homage to street art. After the Lord Napier pub closed in 2016, it received a rather lively makeover. Curated by Aida Wilde, with work from internationally recognised artists including Cenz, Sweet Toof and Donk, this pub stands loud and proud just around the corner from Hackney Wick Station. Running along the top of the building and summing up the street art culture of east London is commentary from artist Mobstr’s “Meanwhile In East London, Lunatics Decorate A Building…”

Find it here: 25 White Post Lane, Hackney Wick

Stik

“I started making art on the streets because, as a homeless person, they were the safest place to keep my work” says artist Stik, whose images can be seen from Hackney to Jordan, and are even found inside the homes of rock stars Elton John and Brian May.

From being homeless and making the transition to struggling artist, Stik is now an internationally renowned street artist, whose work can be seen all around Hackney and across London. He paints stick-like figures that depict the everyday struggles faced by contemporary UK society and although very simple, these figures are extremely expressive.

Find it: All over Hackney and Shoreditch. Click here to see a map of some of his work

Alexis Diaz

This awesome piece of art is by Puerto Rican artist Alexis Diaz aka La Pandilla. A testament towards his signature style of combining animals and humans, this elephant-octopus hybrid mural is made up of thousands of tiny brush strokes.

Find it here: Hanbury Street, Shoreditch

What are your favourite street art murals in London? Send them our way on Instagram