VIP Opening of 'Shadowman' - Richard Hambleton
Installation Views
Guests such as Poppy Delevingne, Gala Gordon and Rose McGowan gathered in Leake Street Arches on Wednesday 12th September inside one of the world’s best known graffiti tunnels under Waterloo station to preview Richard Hambleton: Shadowman.
Attended by: Poppy Delevingne, Gala Gordon, Isaac Ferry, Rose McGowan, Jamie Redknapp, Jay Rutland, Andy Valmorbida, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Sydney Lima, Pippa Bennett Warner, Lily and Rosie Fortescue, Martha Ward, Kelvin Bueno, Frankie Herbert, Hayden Kays, Toby Regbo, Sascha Bailey, Stephen and Assia Webster, Marc Quinn, James Brown, Clym Evernden, Diego Bivero Volpe, Charlie Speed, Mark Jaques Burton, Lou Dalton, Kitty Joseph, Morgan Watkins, Tiger Lily Taylor, Alison Jackson, Tyrone Wood, James Cook, Amanda Sheppard, Max Cocking, Hugo Heathcote and Miles Bugby.
Jointly presented by Andy Valmorbida, art collector and long-time supporter of Richard Hambleton, and Maddox Gallery, Shadowman is the first major exhibition of Hambleton’s work since the artist’s death in 2017.
Often cited as the ‘godfather’ of street art, Hambleton was the first artist to use the city as a canvas. Hambleton was at the forefront of the New York street art movement in the early 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, and quickly became known for his black ‘shadowman’ silhouettes that appeared unexpectedly in corners, alleyways and on walls across lower Manhattan overnight and now in London’s Leake Street.
The exhibition showcased many of Hambleton’s most influential works as well as featuring iconic photographs of Hambleton’s murals across the streets of New York, captured by photographer Hank O’Neal.
Guests entered the exhibition via the infamous graffiti tunnel, a pertinent reference to the artist and his influence on the modern graffiti scene. On entering the venue, which subtly echoed the New York street art scene of Hambleton’s time, Hambleton’s Shadowman ‘fly’posters were covered throughout the entrance tunnel.
Guests were served drinks which included Asahi beer, Smirnoff Soda Smash cocktails. Further referencing the New York street scene, pizza from Vaporetto Pizza was served to guests, bringing an authentic taste of NYC to the event.
Dj’s Isaac Ferry and Hugo Heathcote provided music for guests at the after party which took place in the underground tunnels of the exhibition venue.
