Opening reception: 5 June, 6.30 - 9 pm 

Exhibition runs until 28 June

No one @ mee... presents a new series of mixed-media works by London-based graffiti artist Fatzoo, whose work showcases graffiti as not only an art form but also a means of exploration and experiencing the world. Now, for the first time, Fatzoo brings his work inside gallery walls. A text by TJ Sidhu accompanies the show:

“GRAFFITI EXISTS BEST OUTSIDE, WITHOUT PERMISSION.” – FATZOO 

Graffiti writers are of the few artists who choose to remain faceless. There are legal reasons, of course, but it stands out in a world of likes, instant uploads and @’s. These lot aren’t seeking any of that. It’s a medium that values its privacy. And it’s subjective, too. An artistic application and a sign of expression, whether that’s resilience, anti-establishment or straight-up artistry. Or simply, a buzz.

It’s not a crazy concept, graffiti. Imagine a wall, train, motorway bridge, and an artist has painted on its surface with a spray can. This isn’t a concept that should be overcomplicated or fabricated with strange meanings. It’s a sign of life.

But when you put graffiti in a gallery, there’s a conversation to have. Why else would it be hung up on a white wall?

No one @ mee... brings together a new series of mixed-media works from Fatzoo. Graffiti has taken the artist around the world and has given him – and many of his contemporaries – possibilities and experiences. For the first time, Fatzoo brings his work inside, into an established art gallery: a graffiti artist putting on an art show.

Part social commentary, part stream of consciousness, the works feature household paint, spray paint, pen works, photography and sculpture executed in various forms: Fatzoo’s eponymous tag, the repetition of the art form and the observations of a witty Londoner (“when will I stop noticing every single undercover police car…”). After nearly two decades of making art outdoors, these works have taken time and consideration in a studio. It’s an antidote to the quickness of spray painting on a train track to the distant sound of sirens, in near darkness. With that speed comes a lack of narrative. A tag is an indicator, not a story – but this exhibition is the first insight into Fatzoo.

No one @ mee...  is about London, and a working-class upbringing in council house environments where graff was on walls and in hallways. And outside the block, on the streets, where the anti-establishment walk: Somalians, travellers, Jamaicans, Muslims, Caribbeans, Indians, all anti, not being white English. It’s about the act of defiance that is simply existing as a Black, Brown or Non-English man. 

There’s the poverty and wealth divide in the city, too, and how it has shaped Fatzoo as an artist. When the rich and poor live on opposite sides of the street, you learn a thing or two from seeing things you aren’t. Maybe you even make your way into the white and upper-class art world. Having London and its people rub shoulders – united by difference – makes exhibitions like these possible. You can’t beat it.

 - TJ Sidhu, May 2025