A stone’s throw from South Kensington station, tucked away at the Sussex Mansions, you’ll find SURFACE. This street art exhibition focuses on a series of cinematic, large-scale photographic portraits through the lens of Danish photographer Søren Solkær. Each image is carefully staged with on-site lighting and strong storytelling.
I had previously been to the Banksy Limitless exhibition nearby and loved it. Learning SURFACE was opening next door, I had to revisit and indulge in more street art masterpieces. Come along as I tell you more about my visit to this incredible street art gallery.
First Impressions
While South Kensington might seem like an odd place for a street art display, the moment I entered the SURFACE venue, I knew this was more than just a street art exhibition. Walls filled with large photographs of various street artists, photographed next to their own creations. From Slinkachu or Invader to Shepard Fairey or Goldie, there was so much to see and explore. Two floors, several rooms, all displaying over 80 influential artists’ work reimagined through Solkær’s creative vision.
Solkær has previously created iconic portraits of music stars like Amy Winehouse and Adele. Knowing he has worked with such iconic pop figures, I wasn’t surprised to discover how many street artists he had managed to feature. What actually left me surprised was how incredibly detailed and creative each photograph was – hard to take my eyes off it.
The exhibition
As I wandered around trying to decide on the pieces I liked the most, I realised that picking a favourite wasn’t easy, actually impossible… The details of each photograph were incredibly distinctive. I kept coming back to the image of French street artist Victor Ash, captured in a reflective, astronaut-like suit sitting inside a Berlin U-Bahn train carriage. Through the train window, you can visibly notice Ash’s famous “Astronaut Cosmonaut” mural. The colours and the creative energy of the picture mesmerised me. Definitely reminded me of something you would encounter on a daily tube ride in London.
Another one of my favourites was of the Spanish street artist Gonzalo Borondo. The image depicts Borondo holding a picture of his own face under the bridge in East London. As someone who has passed this location many times, I felt connected, like I was once a part of the story myself.
The exhibition was not only inspiring and challenging my own imagination, but it also allowed me to reflect. It made me think, how often we pass by meaningful street art pieces without stopping and looking around. Art is all around us, and it’s constantly giving us clues; we just don’t realise.
The photographer
Luckily, we have been fortunate enough to be invited to the press night. During which the talented Søren Solkær himself has introduced us to this wonderful collection. When, out of curiosity, we asked Søren to choose some of his favourite works, he brought us to Lee Quinones’ piece. The photographer explained how each of his works meant a lot, but this one might be one of his current favourites in the exhibition due to Lee Quinones being a pioneer of the graffiti movement.
If you’re interested in meeting the talented Søren Solkær himself, you’re in luck. On December 8 and 9, you’re presented with the opportunity of a 75-minute guided tour of the SURFACE exhibition. Here, the photographer will guide a small group through the gallery, sharing various ideas and answering any burning questions.
Final thoughts
Having been to various art exhibitions, I’ve always found it difficult to decide how much I actually liked them. But after visiting SURFACE exhibition, I was so sure that this was a special opportunity that doesn’t come around too often. Seeing so many different street artists trusting Solkær’s vision enough to participate in his exhibition, to be photographed with their art – that felt like a one-in-a-kind experience.