LUAP has painted his Pink Bear in Notting Hill. Set against a bright yellow background the bear is eating bananas and providing a popular distraction for passers by. The bear is a well known muse in LUAP’s work. Painted in a variety of pursuits it is a character that has developed over the years.
Just around the corner from the Graffik Gallery, the mural is called ‘C’est Ne Pas Banana’ and can be found on Oxford Gardens. The gallery is a place known for it’s focus on street art and graffiti. LUAP’s bear will also be the focus of a print release. It will feature the same image that he has painted around the corner.
Taking over two days to create, LUAP’s street art does not involve spray paint only brushes. He is meticulous in the way that his work takes shape. Starting from a photograph, the end result will generally closely follow that original image.
For the piece in Notting Hill, LUAP wanted to give a nod to pop culture. The banana as a symbol has been used in artworks across time. Artists as diverse as Giorgio de Gauguin, Andy Warhol, Banksy, Sarah Lucas and Maurizio Cattelan have all used it in their work. It’s become a symbol of fun and frivolity but also of consumerism and the absurd. “A banana is never just a banana in art” LUAP tells me. “It always symbolises something else”.
C’est Ne Pas Banana was painted by LUAP in April 2022 on Oxford Gardens in Notting Hill. It was supported by Graffik Gallery
LUAP Pink Bear Gallery
