Street Art Safari in East London

I don’t get the chance to make it to East London every year, but 2022 was luckily one of them. I often take a similar route starting at Whitechapel, making my way down Brick Lane and its mural offshoots, up to Shoreditch and a few streets above the A1209, around Ebury St and then down to Shoreditch Overground Station.

When I pulled out my camera on Brick Lane I realised that instead of attaching my wide angle lens — my preferred gear for street art photography — I realised that I had my 50mm prime lens instead. And nothing else! So I made do with that. And I have to say — what a fantastic mistake! I never would have tried this, but am completely glad I did.

It’s on the streets just off of Brick Lane where some very famous street art murals can be found — by artists including Stik, (@stikstudio), Nathan Bowen (@nathanbowenart), Martin Ron (@ronmuralist), ROA (@roa_archive) and Claudio Picasso (@cpwon).

I also take photos of the interesting front elevations and signage of East London buildings. Sometimes the contrast between the murals, Victorian architecture and contemporary shops or cafes is stark but fascinating — and somehow work together.

Shoreditch is always an artistic feast and I was relieved to see that some of my very favourite murals remain in place, such as the work of Jimmy C on Whitby Street.