A powerful and poignant mural has appeared from Ant Carver on Hanbury Street. The wall is one of the most prominent on the London street art scene. Taking a full two weeks to complete. The resultant image really is up there with some of the best street art ever to grace that wall.
We are used to seeing Ant Carver’s work. Known very much for his portraits. Generally realistic they are fused with graffiti imagery. The results are always striking and they’ve been regular features on the street end scene in London for a number of years now.
Special Meaning
The mural is one which appears to have had special meaning to the artist. “Recently, I’ve been using my work as a way to reflect on loss” he explains on his instagram page. “I painted this mural on Hanbury Street to explore the idea of living in harmony with grief, and the solace I found in accepting its presence in my life. The 3 candles in the image are to honour a close friend and this mural is for him”.
The piece itself is full of symbolism. A woman rests against a golden skull next to which a white rose and a set of dice lay. She is staring straight ahead. Her chin resting on overlain hands, supported by the golden skull. Framing the woman on either side sit a candelabra and a jug containing flowers. On the candelabra, two of the candles are lit with one left unlit.
It’s not often that works on the street like this are only painted using brushes. That’s what happened here though and this explains a lot of the time taken. That and the fact that there is just so much detail contained within the piece. Get along to see it quick though. This is a popular wall and it’s only a matter of time before it gets painted over.
Ant Carver Hanbury Street Gallery
The mural by Ant Carver on Hanbury Street was painted over 2 weeks from 25 July 2020 to 10 August 2020. Photographs were taken over this period. You can read a previous interview with Ant Carver here.
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