Signal Gallery

Great little Shoreditch gallery which (along with the help of project/​curating masterminds, Campbarbossa (
)) has been exhibiting some particularly tasty shows as of late. If you’re into urban and underground art, keep this Curtain Road space on your radar. My last visit was to the opening of the Never Odd or Even (
) exhibition, featuring Alice in Wonderland inspired works by German photorealism/​graffiti artist CASE (
). It was a spectacular show (which at the time of writing this review is still on view) and indicative of what to expect from Signal. Give ‘em a visit!

I can’t fault them for trying to get more into the street art side of things. I mean who isn’t trying to get into that these days, but what always drives me barmy, is, as with the gang over at the Pure Evil Gallery, they charge West London prices for these things, when you can get better value in the area elsewhere.
They have interesting shows and it’s definitely worth being on the mailing list and going to previews, but as with the aforementioned galleries, I look forward to breaking that mold and making my first purchase.

Jonathan Darby’s solo art show is fantastic. Well worth a visit, it’s on until the 10^th, very interesting work — cross between street and and fine art. He can paint.

I was ambling down curtain road with a friend with the intent on visiting the white cube, when we saw a man in sportswear and white trainers, covered in paint daubing a wall next to a bar I once frequented. Stopping to wonder whether it was a commissioned piece he was doing, I discovered that he was actually a painter, rather than a graffiti artist and furthermore, that he had a show exhibiting in a gallery right next to us.
The signal gallery is a tiny, single-​roomed space with exposed brickwork that looks more like one of the local fashion showrooms than an art gallery. It therefore gives work that exhibits a there an edgier feel than they might have had if they were in your usual pristine white box.
Not to say that the work I saw there wasn’t edgy enough. It was a shown called echoes and exorcisms, by Dale Grimshaw (the name of the man I learnt was painting outside). It was a series of unintentionally autobiographical works (hence why all of the paintings looked faintly like him) mainly in black and white, with decidedly eerie-​looking reflections, aggressive paint splashes and deep contrasting shadows.
The story was one of a lot of pain and internal turmoil, and his next show, Heart in Darkness promises to carry on that theme.