Outside the Zone Curates Pop Futurism on Shoreditch Streets

Under the railway arches of Shoreditch a regular series of artworks have been appearing. Curated by Outside the Zone, they can be found underneath the railway tracks and in disused spaces. Abstract art and street art merging together in the streets of the East End.

Equality in Public Art

The walls change with a different level of frequency. Emerging artists blending with more established names. Pop Futurism is a curation which offers an equality of opportunity not seen in many other public art projects.

Shoreditch Locations

Key locations include large scale murals in the streets of Batemans Row and Dereham Place. Further up towards Old Street and billboards are utilised to showcase the artworks. Along the way security shutters also lend themselves to become canvases. Other spaces, lining the Shoreditch High Street and Kingsland Road can be stumbled upon.

Doug Haywood working on his piece on Drysdale Place

Outside the Zone

Outside the Zone are a public art platform who have been making these spaces available for years. Often seeking to explore and push the boundaries of what it means to exhibit in the street. There is no pattern to the work that goes up here. This is about showcasing the work and letting the public do the rest.

Pop Futurism

It’s a project that Outside the Zone are calling ‘Pop Futurism’. A new sort of street ‘Frieze’. What they describe as a living exhibition where the walls change rapidly. It’s a means of getting work out there just for the sake of it. It shows that fine art in particular doesn’t need to be just the domain of the gallery.

Artists and Spaces

Part of this appeal is what attracts so many artists to contribute to its spaces. Pieces by LUAP, Jay Kaes, and Mister Tris have been recent large scale standout works. These blend with others who maybe are not known for their street work. People who might have more of a background in graffiti, abstract art, graphic design or photography.

The walls featured in this article are all curated by Outside the Zone. Their group exhibition ‘Empty Consumption’ will be showing at the Dstassi Art Gallery on 6 December 2024. Thanks to Tom and Trix for their support with this piece. You can read more about the art curated by Outside the Zone in this article from 2021. All photos used in this piece are courtesy of Outside the Zone.

Outside the Zone Gallery

All the locations of walls curated by Outside the Zone in the Shoreditch area. Every art spot is located a short walk from one another. All can be found along the Shoreditch High Street and Kingsland Road. A selection of recent work can be seen below.